SUBANG, July 9 — The government is currently studying how it can lower the voting age from 21 to 18, Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman said today.
The youth and sports minister, however, did not reveal much information about the matter aside from saying that legal amendments will be made during Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) maiden term.
“The prime minister and I are very interested in bringing down the voting age to 18.
“It will be done in this term,” he said at a forum titled “The changed political landscape and the aspirations of the Youth” at Sunway University.
Acknowledging the strong political awareness shown by young voters in the 14th general election that saw Barisan Nasional (BN) ousted from power after six decades, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad told Malay Mail in a recent interview that his administration will study lowering the voting age from 21 to 18.
In Malaysia, the age of maturity is 18 years old, meaning one can drive, get married, sign contracts and be tried in court as an adult. But Article 119(1) of the Federal Constitution states eligibility for voting is a citizen who has reached 21 years of age.
At the forum, Syed Saddiq did not directly answer a question from the floor when asked if Pakatan Harapan (PH) would abolish the race-based quota system at public universities.
He said the Education Ministry will study the matter but added that the focus, this time, will include the bottom 40 per cent of income-earners.
“I don’t dare to comment much. We want to ensure there is representation of all groups and more importantly, the bottom 40.
“There must be a comprehensive study instead of me giving a yes or no answer,” he said on whether Putrajaya will abolish racial quotas in public universities.
