NEARLY two years after a bill was passed to lower the voting age, the Undi18 youth movement wants the government to state clearly when 18-year-olds will be allowed to vote.

The group also wants the Election Commission to explain the issues that are in the way of the law being swiftly enforced.

“We welcome the renewed commitment of the cabinet to lower the voting age in Malaysia as soon as possible.

“Undi18 still insists on further clarification from (de facto law minister) Takiyuddin Hassan and the government to provide a clearer timeline for the bill’s implementation.

“We demand to know what are the existing technical challenges that currently impede the bill’s swift execution,” Undi18 member Roshinee Mookaiah said in a statement today.

Earlier today Takiyuddin said Putrajaya is committed to implementing Undi18 in the near future.

The minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said the government will work on realising Undi18 ,the enactment for which took place in 2019.

“This 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 EC will take immediate steps to resolve several legal and technical issues connected to the bill, including making the required software system updates to accommodate the change.

The cabinet decision comes after EC chairman Abdul Ghani Salleh said the implementation of the Undi bill would be delayed till September 2022, at the earliest, due to the Covid-19 crisis.

The amendment bill passed the Dewan Rakyat on on July 25, 2019 and was subsequently approved in the Dewan Negara with a two-thirds majority.

The amendment includes provisions for voters to be automatically registered on the electoral roll when they become of age and for candidates to be eligible to stand for election at 18. – April 29, 2021.