KUALA LUMPUR: Sembrong member of Parliament Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein has joined a chorus of individuals and groups expressing disappointment over the Election Commission's (EC) move to postpone the implementation of lowering the voting age to 18 (Undi18) and the automatic voter registration.
The Foreign Minister said the excuse by EC, which blamed the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO) for the postponement, is unreasonable.
"On June 7 last year, the EC said the preparation for the implementation of the Undi18 and automatic voter registration can be concluded the latest by July 2021.
"The statement by the EC was issued when the country was already amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Hence, the EC should have a clear plan to ensure the targeted date (for the implementation of Undi18 and automatic voter registration) could be achieved.
"Citing the MCO as the reason for the postponement of than a year as an excuse which is unreasonable," Hishammuddin said in a Facebook posting.
He also reminded the EC that the amendment to the Federal Constitution to implement Undi18 and automatic voter registration had received unanimous support from Dewan Rakyat members in July 2019 including from himself, who was an MP from the opposition bloc at the time.
"This reflected that all political parties had no problem and that they agreed with the implementation (of Undi18 and automatic voter registration.
"Immediately after the implementation of Undi18 and automatic voter registration were approved, I had said that it was the right and necessary move for three reasons namely it was agreed unanimously based on consensus, it empowered the youth and that it is the trust and responsibilities of the youth," he said.
Other Cabinet members who had previously expressed disappointment over the postponement included Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
The Rembau MP had described EC's excuse that the MCO had derailed the commission's planning as unreasonable as the movement restriction had already been enforced for over a year.