'Nothing political' in additional Undi 18 stipulations - Umno
Umno secretary-general Annuar Musa today stressed that there is nothing political about his party's ultimatum that opposition lawmakers will only back the Undi 18 bill with additional amendments.
Speaking to reporters at Parliament today, Annuar said the proposals were made in “good faith,” as any amendments made to the Federal Constitution should be done in a comprehensive manner...
Umno secretary-general Annuar Musa today stressed that there is nothing political about his party's ultimatum that opposition lawmakers will only back the Undi 18 bill with additional amendments.
Speaking to reporters at Parliament today, Annuar said the proposals were made in “good faith,” as any amendments made to the Federal Constitution should be done in a comprehensive manner.
"This is not just a normal bill (as it involves constitutional amendments), so when the government proposes to lower the qualifying voting age, there are other aspects that are affected within the context of Parliament and the constitution.
"... Our suggestions are not political. We look at it purely from the need for constitutional consistency," he added.
The government tabled an amendment to Article 119 of Federal Constitution bill to lower the minimum voting age to 18 at Dewan Rakyat last Thursday.
However, Umno and PAS both said they would only back the bill if Putrajaya included clauses on two additional amendments – on automatic voter registration and lowering the qualifying age of election candidates to 18.
Read more: PM to brief MPs on Undi 18 tomorrow
The latter would involve an amendment to Article 47 of the constitution. Currently, elected representatives need to be no less than 21 years old, while senators must be aged 30 and above.
Annuar (photo) said today Umno was pleased to hear that the Pakatan Harapan government would include the two new clauses in the bill.
When asked if this meant Umno guaranteed its support, he replied: “We will support (if the changes are made). Not only us… but PAS and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) will support.”
The constitutional bill on lowering the voting age to 18 is slated for its second reading on July 16.
It was reported that the government would have to withdraw the existing bill, and table the amended version in order to incorporate the changes.
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad will brief lawmakers on the matter tomorrow.
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
This action cannot be undone.