Sarawak youths take govt to court over Undi18 delay

 

Five Sarawakian youths have filed a judicial review at the Kuching High Court, seeking to compel the federal government into implementing Undi18 by July.

In a virtual presser today, the group called “Undi Sarawak” argued that delays to the implementation of lowering the voting age would deny the rights of more than 125,000 Sarawakian youths to vote in the state election which has to be held by Aug 7.

“We also take note of the most recent statement made by (de facto law minister) Takiyuddin Hassan on April 29, as well as his subsequent remarks on May 2 regarding the implementation of the Undi18 bill.

“While we welcome the cabinet’s renewed commitment to implement the lowered voting age by July, it remains to be seen whether there is a fixed course of action and timeline to do so.

“Undi Sarawak holds firm to our belief that youth between the ages of 18 and 20 are owed their constitutional right to vote. This is made more pertinent for approximately 125,000 to 135,000 Sarawakians aged 18 to 20, as the Sarawak state election ought to be held by Aug 7 once the emergency period ends in early August," said its spokesperson Ivan Alexander Ong. 

“Hence, the Undi18 bill must be implemented by July 2021 to ensure these young Sarawakians can exercise their rights as first-time voters during the upcoming state elections,” he added. 

On March 25, the Election Commission (EC) announced the postponement of the implementation of Undi18, including automatic voter registration, to Sept 1 next year.

The decision means that youths aged 18 to 20 will likely not be able to vote in the next general election, which is expected to be held once the emergency is lifted in August.

Following this, a group of 18 Malaysian youths, representing the Undi18 movement, filed a judicial review in April against the premier, the government, and the EC.

Meanwhile, lawyer Simon Siah of Lawyer Kamek for Change, who represents the Undi Sarawak group, said that the judicial review was filed at the Kuching High Court yesterday.

They believe that a decision can be reached in time before the Sarawak state election. - Mkini