NGOs submit memorandum to EC over Undi 18 delay

KUALA LUMPUR: A coalition of several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) today urged the government to expedite the implementation of automatic voter registration and Undi 18 (lowering of voting age to 18).

Speaking to reporters after handing over a memorandum to the Election Commission (EC) regarding the implementation of Undi 18, Gerakan Belia 4B acting president Fahami Ashrof Badaruddin said the matter should be implemented by this July.

“We are concerned if the government is serious about implementing the Undi 18. The Parliament has passed the Undi 18 in 2019, before the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO),” he said after handing over the memorandum at the EC headquarters here.

On March 25, EC chairman Datuk Abdul Ghani Salleh was reported to have said that automatic voter registration and Undi 18 can only be implemented after Sept 1 next year (2022).

Meanwhile, Keilmuwan Nasional chairperson Zambri Mohd Isa said the implementation of Undi 18 should not be delayed so as not to deny the rights of young voters.

“The EC must adhere to its principle of preserving, supervising and maintaining the democratic process through free and fair elections,” he said.

-- BERNAMA