KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 3 — Senator Khairul Azwan Harun today called on his fellow senators to back the proposal for lowering the minimum voting age from 21 to 18, saying the time was right for this as the country now had a large pool of voters.

"I congratulate the Youth and Sports Minister (Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman) for being committed to lowering the minimum voting age from 21 to 18... we do not want Malaysians who have reached the age of 18 to lose focus on what democracy means.

"If the government legislates it, I suggest that my fellow senators give it their full backing because advanced countries like the United States and France have already done this,” he said when debating the motion of thanks for the royal address in the Dewan Negara today.

He also suggested that a new subject on democracy and the constitution be introduced in secondary schools to school students on these matters.

Lowering of the voting age to 18 is among the pledges in the manifesto of Pakatan Harapan which unseated the Barisan Nasional government in the general election in May this year. — Bernama