KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 ― Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan today joined the voice of dissent from his party members on the postponement of Undi18, calling on the government to honour the amendments made in the Parliament.
“For us, Parliament has already passed it, a promise has been made, so whatever we promise, we must fulfill.
“Unless from the planning aspect it is not ready, then I do not know,” said the politician known as Tok Mat, when met here during the 2020 Umno general assembly.
On Thursday, the Election Commission (EC) announced that it has decided to postpone Undi18 and the accompanying automatic voter registration, citing Covid-19 for causing delays to its implementation.
The EC said it needed to evaluate new obstacles and persistent issues as well as account for the various movement control orders (MCO) that are in place.
Federal lawmakers crossed the political aisle and voted unanimously to amend the Federal Constitution in July 2019 and lower the minimum voting age from 21 to 18.
Undi18 can only take effect once it has been gazetted, which was scheduled for the second half of this year.
Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Khairy Jamaluddin, also called out the EC for its decision to delay Undi18 until September 2022, saying the latter’s reasoning for doing so was preposterous.
Khairy also tweeted that he and his Umno colleague and Kepala Batas MP Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican, would bring the matter up to Cabinet at their next meeting, to urge the EC to implement Undi18 as soon as possible.
Youth and civil society groups are currently organising a protest against the EC’s decision in front of the Parliament now.
