Bill to lower voting age tabled for first reading

Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman

KUALA LUMPUR: A Bill to amend the Federal Constitution to lower the voting age has been tabled in the Dewan Rakyat for its first reading.

The Constitution (Amendment) 2019 Bill seeks to amend clause 1 of Article 119 of the Federal Constitution to lower the age of a Malaysian who is entitled to vote from 21 to 18 years old.

"With this amendment, more Malaysian citizens would be entitled to vote and elect a government through an election, which is in line with a progressive democratic system," read the Bill.

The Bill was tabled by Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.

The second reading is expected to be on July 16.

However, it requires a two-thirds majority of a 148 votes in the House to amend the Federal Constitution.

Currently, there are 222 seats in the Dewan Rakyat and Pakatan Harapan only has 139 MPs, while the Opposition has a total of 77 lawmakers.

Other countries have also lowered their voting age to 18, among them include the United States, the United Kingdom, India, Iran, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia and Australia.