KUALA LUMPUR – The government does not have plans to make voting mandatory for eligible Malaysian citizens aged 18 and above.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said explained this was because the government supports the principles of the Federal Constitution, which provides the right to vote.
“As a democratic nation, the right to freedom has been allocated to every Malaysian citizen under the federal constitution to fulfil their responsibilities as voters in elections”
“Based on that principle, the government currently does not plan to oblige every Malaysian citizen to vote,” she said in a parliamentary written reply today.
However, Azalina said education and civic awareness will be emphasised to encourage citizens to exercise their responsibility and vote when required, for the sake of the nation’s stability.
The Pengerang MP was responding to Amanah’s Mohd Sany Hamzan (Hulu Langat-PH), who asked if the government plans to amend the constitution and make it compulsory for all Malaysians aged 18 and above to vote.
Undi18 was implemented on December 15 last year, which included the automatic voter registration for all eligible voters.
On September 3, 2022, the Kuching High Court ordered that the voting age be lowered from 21 to 18 by the end of the year.
The amendments were approved at the 14th Parliament’s second meeting of the second session, back in July 2019.
Currently, nations practising compulsory voting include Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Egypt, Fiji, Greece, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Nauru, North Korea, Paraguay, Peru, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Singapore, Thailand, Turkiye, and Uruguay. – November 2, 2023