Guan Eng sees hypocrisy in justifying Undi18 delay

 

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has criticised what he claimed was PAS' hypocrisy in justifying the delay of lowering the voting age from 21 to 18.

Lim pointed out that PAS accepted people as young as 13 years old to become party members.

He added that it likewise had no qualms for those younger than 18 to marry.

The Bagan MP was responding to PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang who said voting at 18 years old was a "western" concept and voting should be based on maturity, despite having supported the move in 2019.

"Clearly Hadi was dishonest when he voted in Parliament for Undi18, as he has now made a U-turn and voted for political expediency to defend the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.

"And yet, youths are mature enough to drive at 18 and even marry below the age of 18. PAS and Hadi have no objections to young girls and boys below 18 getting married, despite the perverted logic of (that age being) mature enough to marry but not mature enough to vote.

"What is more hypocritical is that PAS accepts members as young as 13, who can vote in PAS party meetings," Lim added.

The Election Commission (EC) announced on March 25 that it was delaying the new voting age to September 2022.

This means 18 to 20-year-olds can't vote in the 15th general election should it be called in August when the emergency expires.

Youth activists protested outside Parliament against the postponement last weekend and several of them have since been questioned by police.

Lim called on every MP who voted for Undi18 to take a stand against the police investigations.

"All MPs who had previously voted in Parliament on July 16, 2019, in favour of the Undi18 constitutional amendment lowering the voting age to 18, should oppose police investigations into the peaceful gathering outside Parliament.

"Youths are upset that the PN government is not delivering on its promise to implement Undi18 by July 2021, but only (doing so) after September 2022, as announced by the EC," he said. - Mkini