Undi18 must not be implemented in haste, say young adults

MIRI (Aug 15): Many young adults here believe that the move to allow Malaysians aged 18 to 20 to vote in elections should not be done in haste.

On Friday, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had agreed to implement ‘Undi18’, the legislation allowing those aged from 18 to 20 to vote, should the confidence motion for bipartisan support be passed in Parliament.

He also said this legislation should be implemented without having to wait for the automatic voter registration process.

“A Bill to amend the Constitution will be tabled in Parliament for this purpose.

“I hope that with bipartisan cooperation in Parliament, the amendment Bill could be passed,” said Muhyiddin in his address, broadcast on television on Friday.

For lawyer Misra Asthana Mohamed Faizal, she argued that by law, a person at the age of 18 would still need a guardian in any event.

“Imposing/amending the law especially during these difficult times, when the country is politically unstable and the citizens are suffering from the economic downturn, could be seen as them (people in power) wanting to maintain their position, rather than a decision made for the betterment of the country,” the 29-year-old commented.

“There are many things that the government should focus on during this crucial time – gaining votes from those not recognised by law (due to them having not reached the age of 21) is not one of them,” she stressed.

Odelia Tan, aged 18, felt that education played a huge part in educating the youths before they could cast their votes during the elections.

“Personally, my political views come from conversations that my parents share with their friends and relatives. Social media are also amongst the ‘strongest’ sources when it comes to obtaining all the politics-related information.

“Though 18 may become a legal age to cast vote, more time is needed to nurture the youths’ ability to analyse the right from wrong,” she said, noting that at school, politics had never been fully included in the public syllabus.
“Thus, youths need time to familiarise with it (politics).

“Many political information and news that the youths are exposed to, derive from social media.

“I do agree that we are living in a generation of technology advancement, but to vote wisely and to choose the right government, it requires mature analysis and thoughts,” she added.

For Chia Kah Furng, 27, he regarded the move of lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 as being ‘easier said than done’.

“For our country, we must look into many areas and the work needed to improve those areas.

“Firstly, our education system needs some improvements to increase the standards of learning and teaching, particularly the history that tells all the stories of our nation.

“Secondly, the personal development of our younger generation. Parents play a crucial role in giving them some guidance.

“Though some countries have made 16 years old as the legitimate voting age, the whole system has been designed to cater towards that direction.
“It is important for our country to look at their systems, and how they are doing it,” said Chia.

Azzami Jolkadir, aged 18, viewed Undi18 as ‘nothing new’, but it did signify giving the power to youths to choose and voicing out their minds.

“Looking at countries like Australia, Canada and Japan – all of which have lowered the voting age. This shows that Undi18 is nothing new.

“When Undi18 was first announced, many youths actually welcomed it.

“This would definitely change the political scenario in our country, because youth tend to have fresher views than those of the people from the older age bracket.

“Finland, which has one of the best education systems in the world, has already lowered its voting age to 18 – this shows that education does play a big part in this too,” he said.

Azzami believed that the youths, having been given the responsibility as citizens to decide the fate of the country through elections, would feel that sense of belonging and accountability in making such a choice through their votes.

“Moreover, they would be more alert of issues that are happening in the country.

“Undi18 should be viewed as a new mechanism towards attaining political stability, instead of being used as a political tool by certain quarters for their self-interests,” he added.