03-27-2021, 05:23 PM
KUCHING, March 27 ― Rise of Social Efforts (ROSE) civil society today said it is unacceptable and ludicrous for the Election Commission (EC) to blame the Covid-19 pandemic for the delay in implementing the voting age from 21 to 18 years and the accompanying the automatic voter registration (AVR).
Its chairman Ann Teo said this is because the necessary data for the EC to work on is available from the database of the National Registration Department and other agencies.
“It is really not so much about the number of voters that are in the 18-20 years age group, which according to the EC is about 1.5 million, but it is about their right to play a part in choosing the leaders of this country,” Teo said in a statement.
She said the immediate effect or impact of the delay for Sarawak is that about 135,000 youths in this age category are immediately excluded from the right to vote or to choose their state assemblymen and new state government in the coming 12th state election, widely expected to be held just after Emergency Order comes to an end on August 1.
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Its chairman Ann Teo said this is because the necessary data for the EC to work on is available from the database of the National Registration Department and other agencies.
“It is really not so much about the number of voters that are in the 18-20 years age group, which according to the EC is about 1.5 million, but it is about their right to play a part in choosing the leaders of this country,” Teo said in a statement.
She said the immediate effect or impact of the delay for Sarawak is that about 135,000 youths in this age category are immediately excluded from the right to vote or to choose their state assemblymen and new state government in the coming 12th state election, widely expected to be held just after Emergency Order comes to an end on August 1.
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