Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob – Bernama file photo
KUALA LUMPUR: Opposition MPs are agreeable to supporting a government move to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 provided their two proposals are accepted, said Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
The first is for the amendment to Article 119 (1) of the Federal Constitution to also encompass a provision for Malaysian citizens to be automatically registered as voters upon attaining the age of 18, he said.
The second is to amend Article 47 of the Federal Constitution to lower from 21 to 18 the age of eligibility to be an MP so that the individual can contest the elections, he added.
“If an 18-year-old citizen can be automatically registered as a voter and an 18-year-old can contest the elections, then we will support the amendments. Otherwise, we are not agreeable,” he told a press conference at the Parliament lobby.
Ismail Sabri said that if the two proposals are not included in the proposed amendment brought by the government, the opposition MPs will table a private bill to amend the Federal Constitution.
The government-proposed amendment to Article 119(1) is expected to be tabled by Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman today.
The amendment needs a two-thirds majority to be passed, meaning at least 148 of the 222 MPs must vote for it. – Bernama