18 minutes
PETALING JAYA: A DAP member of parliament has urged opposition lawmakers to put aside their political differences and support the government’s motion to lower the voting age from 21 to 18.
Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong said that the amendment would require a two-third majority in parliament, something the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government does not enjoy.
He said, as such, it was pertinent the opposition not sabotage the government’s reform agenda to empower youth.
“There are very little reasons, if any, for Umno, PAS, and Gabungan Parti Sarawak to not support the motion, unless they intend to sabotage PH’s reform agenda, politicise the issue, and suppress the will of the people.
“The opposition has indeed done so in the past year, for example by rejecting the constitutional amendment to restore the powers of Sabah and Sarawak, and the abolition of the Anti-Fake News Act.
“All political parties and MP’s should therefore take a bi-partisan approach to this motion and vote overwhelmingly (in support),“ he said in a statement today.
Khoo noted that some stake holders had expressed disagreement over the proposal as they were concerned over the capacity of the new voters to make informed decision when voting.
He disagreed with this sentiment, pointing out that the legal age of majority in Malaysia is 18 years old.
On Tuesday, Election Commission (EC) chairman Azhar Azizan Harun said the motion to lower the voting age would be tabled in the coming Dewan Rakyat sitting next month.
