Balingian assemblyman against lowering voting age

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Abdul Yakub Arbi

MUKAH: The age limit to be eligible to vote for Malaysians should continue to be at 21 years old.

According to Balingian assemblyman Abdul Yakub Arbi, the time is not ripe for the voting age to be lowered to 18 years old.

“I don’t agree with lowering the voting age to 18 years old as it will have adverse impact on the country’s future”, he told Utusan Borneo yesterday.

“Such important decision should not be in the hands of an 18-year-old teenager as it

requires a critical mindset to vote.

“For the 18-year-old teenagers, they are still very young and they are inclined to make

decisions without thinking it thoroughly.

“As a result, this will have a negative effect on the country’s development especially in the political arena.

“So, how can we place the future of the country completely on the hands of this group of youngsters,” he explained.

He opined that this group of teenagers generally are not used to carry out their own analysis, especially on political issues, and would not have the best understanding of the issues either.

“Eighteen-year-olds are also easily incited and influenced without carrying out their own investigations beforehand”, he further added.

Minister of Youth and Sports Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman had recently proposed to lower the voting age to 18 years old, and was requesting opinions from all parties including the opposition regarding the matter.