Govt giving due respect to opinions of youths by lowering voting age — rep
KOTA KINABALU: DAP Sabah publicity secretary and State Assemblyman for Luyang, Phoong Jin Zhe, welcomed the passing of a motion in Parliament on Wednesday to reduce the voting age from 21 to 18 years old.
As the youngest assemblyman in the State, Phoong noted that since 18 years old is the age of majority whereby the youths are deemed able to take on responsibilities such as owning a driver’s license and be legally married, there is no reason why they should be witheld the right of suffrage, especially when voting is one of the most basic rights of a modern democracy.
Phoong takes his assistant Lian Yu Zhi as an example, whereby the latter joined DAP when he was only 18 years old to assist the party and help the candidates in the previous election.
Today, Yu Zhi is 19 years old and has become an important member in the assemblyman’s office. This goes to show just how much the youths can contribute to this nation and how they should not be simply shunned for the flawed perception of innocence and immaturity due to their age, said Phoong in a statement yesterday.
Phoong also emphasized that as speaking up for the youths has always been one of his main political agenda, to much of his delight, the Pakatan Harapan government is now giving due respect to the opinions of the youths by lowering the mandatory voting age.
“This goes to show how much the government prioritizes youth agenda and their future in this nation. Nevertheless, the Cabinet’s collective decision alone cannot bring about the necessary changes unless the motion is being passed with two-third majority vote in parliament to give the legislation a constitutional footing,” he said.
As such, he calls for the support of both the ruling and opposition party to in Parliament to bring about the proposed reform.
He also emphasized that if the voting age is successfully reduced to 18, no political figures in the future can undermine and sidelined the voice of the youths and this will be a great advantage to the nation as both the ruling party and the opposition will need to prioritize youth agenda as it signifies the nation’s willingness to be progressive and open-minder for future development.
Furthermore, during the last general election, the youths (aged 21-35 years old) comprised of almost 40% of all eligible and registered voters. Phoong also pointed out that this goes to show that the youths are not only leaders of tomorrow but indeed of today too and the government must bring about better policies to enhance their lives.
He warns that any parties who cannot take care of its youth will surely lose their political influence.
He believes this policy will bring about greater political awareness and participation among the youths, and by awakening their senses to the happenings in the country, our nation will surely grow in potential and in hope for the future.