PENDANG: Election Commission (EC) should be given space and time on the implementation of automatic voter registration and Undi18 (lowering the voting age to 18), said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan.
He said various procedures were involved before this matter could be implemented, including dealings with the National Registration Department (JPN).
“It is not easy (to implement Undi18) as a lot of issues need to be taken into account. Among the problems faced by EC is addresses, that has to be referred to JPN. So long as addresses are not complete, we are afraid that some might not be able to vote as they would not know where to vote.
“Based on the address on the identification card, the EC will decide where the voter will vote, which state, parliamentary constituency,” he told reporters after attending a “Malaysia Prihatin” programme here today.
Takiyuddin said the EC is an independent body and not bound to the government, hence, each decision it makes will not favour any parties.
Last Thursday, EC chairman Datuk Abdul Ghani Salleh announced that automatic voter registration (AVR) and lowering of the voting age to 18 can only be implemented by Sept 1 next year.
Following the announcement, various parties disputed the matter including some who considered the postponement of the implementation of Undi18 as unreasonable. – Bernama
