PUTRAJAYA is very committed to implementing Undi18 and it will be carried out in the near future, said Takiyuddin Hassan.

The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) said the government would expedite the process for the bill, which was passed in 2019.

“This (Undi18) was discussed and confirmed in the cabinet meeting yesterday and it will be worked on to be implemented in the near future,” he said in a statement today. 

Takiyuddin said following the decision, the Election Commission (EC) will take immediate steps to resolve several other matters related to certain relevant legal provisions and technical matters, including updating the required software system.

This cabinet decision comes after EC chairman Abdul Ghani Salleh previously said the commission’s preparations had been hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic, forcing it to delay the implementation to September next year, at the earliest.

“The government is confident that the EC is always ready with various preparations to manage the election process in terms of logistics, human resources and adjustments to the standard operating procedure.

“This is in line with the new norms of election management following the outbreak of Covid-19 in the country,” he said.

Takiyuddin also added that the government is committed to giving opportunities to young people to be voters in the next general election or in any by-election and state election.

Last month, Bersih 2.0 had called on the EC and the National Registration Department (NRD) to explain if there were any issues arising with regard to the implementation of Undi18.

They said it was crucial that both the entities clarify if there already is a voters’ list, since Undi18 was passed in Parliament 19 months ago.

Bersih 2.0 had questioned Dewan Negara president Rais Yatim who said it is impractical to lower the voting age to 18 for now because of the time-consuming obstructions facing the agencies implementing the law.

Rais had said it would take time to come up with the list of 18-year-olds eligible to vote and the constituencies they come from.

He added that this would take up the resources of both the NRD and the EC.

On July 25, 2019, after the Undi18 bill was passed at the Dewan Rakyat, the bill was approved by the Dewan Negara with a two-thirds majority.

With the passing of the bill, the 15th general election should see 18-year-olds given the vote, who will also be automatically registered to vote when they become of age.

In November last year, Takiyuddin had been reported as saying that automatic voter registration for 18-year-olds was expected to be in place by July this year at the latest. – April 29, 2021.