- nabalunews
UNDI18: WARISAN WARNS GRS, PN GOVT NOT TO HIDE BEHIND EC
28 Mar 2021
KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) has warned the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government as well as the Perikatan Nasional (PN) federal government not to hide behind government agencies like the Election Commission.
Its vice president Datuk Junz Wong said the delay of 18 years old voting is proof of the present government's cowardice.
"I want to warn GRS and PN not to hide behind the EC. Delaying Undi18 only proves how much the present government fears the youths.
"The present-day government's cowardice is such a huge contrast to Warisan who strongly supported the youths' voices in nation-building," he said in a statement, recently.
According to Junz, Sabah was the first government to pass state enactments, enabling youth as young as 18 to be a state assemblyman.
"Warisan supported Undi18 in Parliament. We even went further to amend the Warisan administration, amended Article 16 of the Sabah Constitution to lower the qualification age of a state assemblyman from 21 to 18.
"Sabah in November 2019 under the Warisan administration, amended Article 16 of the Sabah Constitution to lower the qualification age of a state assemblyman from 21 to 18. This is in line with the Parliamentary Age of Majority Act 1971, and also with the United Nations and international conventions, which defines adults as 18 years old and above.
"We were the first in the country to do so. We did so with the support of the then opposition reps like Jeffrey Kitingan (STAR), Masidi Manjun (PPBM) and Jahid Jahim (PBS)," he asserted.
Junz lamented that the effort has been delayed now that GRS is in power and this was done by using the EC as a shield.
"This is a very similar modus operandi practised by Barisan Nasional (BN) in the past. When there is good news, the Minister will make the announcement but when there is bad news, the civil service and agencies will be sent to make the announcement.
"Using government agencies as a shield for what? So that government agencies become the receiving end of public backlash while the government politicians save their skin.
"If the government is sincere in allowing youths to vote, the EC would have to heed so because the jobs of the current heads of the EC are at the whims and fancies of the present-day government.
"These agency heads are appointed by the government of the day. Sack them if the government is sincere in wanting youths to have a right to vote.
"The government cannot on one hand use agencies to block 18-year-olds voting, and then its politicians release statements acting as if they oppose it," he said, adding that this will not bold well with the youths," he said.
He stated that Sabahana and Malaysian youths are becoming mnore and more politically savvy and conscious and whatever the government said will not be accepted as the gospel truth like what happened centuries ago.
"High unemployment rate, lack of quality jobs for graduates, economic hardship, double standard practises by those in power, unfulfilled MA63 promises, unfair distribution of resources, rise in racial and religious tensions... Does GRS or PN think the youths are blind and deaf? They think the youths don't know what is happening?"
"Be warned. GRS/PN may disallow 18 to 20-year-olds from voting, but those as young as 21 years old will smell fear and vote them out."
