By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, June 26: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) whip Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof will decide on Sarawak’s stand on the lowering of voting age issue after meeting Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.
“The minister (Syed Saddiq) will meet us to brief on the subject during this session. GPS will decide on it after the briefing,” Fadillah told DayakDaily today.
The bill to lower the voting age from the current 21 to 18-years-old is expected to be tabled in Parliament on July 4. It requires two-thirds majority support to pass, but Pakatan Harapan (PH) only commands a simple majority.
Election Commission chairman Azhar Azizan Harun, who told reporters here yesterday about the proposed bill, said it would be put through the crucial stages, including parliamentary debates, discussions and the voting process.
For the bill to be passed, it would need the support of 148 MPs. PH currently has only 135 MPs, including nine from Parti Warisan Sabah and one from United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko). Hence, PH needs to convince the opposition, including GPS, to vote for it. This is because GPS has 18 MPs. — DayakDaily
