PENDANG – The Election Commission (EC) should be given space and time to implement automatic voter registration and Undi18 (lowering the voting age to 18), said Law Minister Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan.
He said various procedures are involved before these matters could be implemented, including dealing with the National Registration Department (NRD).
“It is not easy (to implement Undi18) as a lot of issues need to be taken into account.
“One of the problems faced by EC is addresses, which has to be referred to NRD. So long as addresses are not complete, some may not be able to vote as they will not know where to vote. Based on the MyKad address, EC will decide where the voter will vote; which state, parliamentary constituency.”
Takiyuddin said EC is an independent body and not bound to the government, hence, each decision it makes will not favour any party.
Last Thursday, EC chairman Datuk Abdul Ghani Salleh announced that automatic voter registration and Undi18 can be implemented only by September 1 next year.
Following the announcement, various parties disputed the matter, including some who said the delay of the implementation of Undi 18 is unreasonable. – Bernama, March 28, 2021
