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KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 — Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan said the government should not change its stand on lowering the voting age to 18, which was passed unanimously by the Parliament in 2019.
On Twitter, Shahril said 18-year-olds must be given a chance to vote since the debate was already settled ahead of the constitutional amendment made that year.
“The younger generation must be given the right and trust to determine their future, especially with the mountainous challenges facing that generation now. This has all been discussed long ago,” he said.
Shahril was commenting on the recent controversy in which a Youth wing leader from a Perikatan Nasional (PN) party reportedly said “Malays are not ready for Undi 18.”
Undi 18 is the informal name for the movement that led to the constitutional amendment to lower the voting age.
Shahril asked PN leaders not to oppose the movement simply over fears that the youth might not support their party.
“Find ways to win, not to run away.
“If you 100 per cent think about your own politics, do you think people would not be angry you postponed (Undi18)? The over 21 year old will punish you too,” he wrote in his Twitter account,” he added.
The constitutional amendment has also been adopted in the Dewan Negara but must be gazetted by the government in order to be effective.
Malay Mail reported recently about the possibility of having a general election before the Undi18 comes into effect in August this year.
PN and Bersatu reportedly now seems to be unconvinced with new voters set to come into fray, with Dewan Negara president Tan Sri Rais Yatim recently claiming that the decision to lower the voting age to 18-years-old starting this July was one made hastily and teenagers are still not ready to commit to the democratic process