Najib: Young people will remember PN breached promise on Undi18

 

Young Malaysians will not forget that the Perikatan Nasional government  breached its promise by delaying the registration of those aged 18 years as voters, Najib Abdul Razak said.

Taking to Facebook, the former prime minister said he somehow expected this as the youngsters were angry with the ruling coalition.

"I am disappointed that the promises given in the Parliament are not kept because it is not logical for the government to take three years to implement the Undi18.

"I believe that the young people will not easily forget this breach of promise," Najib said in his Facebook yesterday.

"I had expected that the PN government was less willing to implement this, as I have written earlier this month," he said.

The Pekan MP also reposted his Facebook posting of March 11, in which he said PN's move is the biggest insult to the Parliament and the democratic process.

"I believe that PN does not want to implement Undi18 because it believes that the majority of the young people are angry at the government at this time," he said.

"But Undi18 had been passed unanimously by the parliamentarians in July 2019 and we were told that this will be implemented latest in July 2021. So, the PN government is trapped, thinking whether to implement Undi18 because not approving it means the biggest insult to the Parliament and the democratic process," Najib said.

"If motion with a two-thirds majority can amend the Federal Constitution, what more for a motion with 100 percent unanimous support?"

Takiyuddin Hassan

The Election Commission said it was postponing Undi18 and automatic voter registration to after September next year, despite de facto Law Minister Takiyuddin Hassan saying it was on track for implementation in July.

The EC said the movement control order had affected its planning and preparations to lower the voting age.

However, critics of the voter registration postponement argued there was no reason why the existing voter registration system can't be extended to 18-year-olds.

Meanwhile, DAP Iskandar Puteri MP Lim Kit Siang urged EC chief Abdullah Ghani Salleh to resign to give way to a new chairperson who could fulfil the Parliament's mandate.

"The decision to violate the parliamentary mandate to allow Malaysians above 18 years age to vote in the next general election is completely unacceptable.

"The EC chief would be guilty of a dismissal offence if Parliament had not been suspended," he said in a statement.

"He should have the integrity and honour to resign as EC chief, since he cannot comply with Parliament’s commitment to lower the age of voting to 18 years in the next general election," Lim added. - Mkini