#UNDI18: The subjectivity of maturity

Nurin Razmyn

On the 25 March, the Electoral Commission had announced the delay of #UNDI18, which was to originally be implemented from this July to September of 2022. Netizens have now shown large amounts of remorse all over social media.

University of Malaya Student, Elisa Shafiqah, holds up a sign of protest during a press conference on the 2nd of April in Kuala Lumpur. · Photo Credits to Choo Choy May

AT WHAT AGE CAN ONE BE CONSIDERED MATURE? The law was passed two years ago and was supposed to be implemented in July of this year.

This announcement then garnered a lot of attention from young netizens who have spoken out on the subject all throughout social media followed by a peaceful protest which took place on the 27 March.

The bill included that (1) there would be an automatic voter registration, (2) lowering the voting age to 18 for all voters in both federal and state elections, and (3) lowering the age to 18 for elected representatives.

RECENT TWEETS HAVE ALSO SHED LIGHT ON THE SITUATION. A strong advocate for #UNDI18, Syed Saddiq, has tweeted out his opinions on the recent announcement with one in particular that touched on a popular yet very sensitive topic.

“Kahwin bawah umur boleh. Undi18 tak boleh. #PNipu,” says Saddiq with obvious resentment.

Along with comments that backed up his opinion, “Register undi ✘. Register sugarbook ✔,” said @nisdfc666 on Twitter.

As well as personal comment, “I would say maturity is subjective and differs within people of all ages. Hence, if the law or people have faith in 16-year-olds to carry responsibility to care for a household independently then I do not see that 18-year-olds are incapable of carrying the responsibility towards a country especially today,” explained by law student Iffah Nazira.

WHEN WILL IT END? In general, there are both mixed opinions as to whether or not the decision for the delay was wise or simply absurd. Just recently, Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (Malaysian Islamic Party) president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang showed support for the delay.

“Only those from among the group who want to power by any means possible will uphold the principle that anyone can be a candidate and vote to win an election for them without caring about the after-effects of this misstep,” Abdul Hadi wrote on his Facebook page on 6 April.

As of recent news, a protest was held on the 27 of May where the youth of Malaysia banded together for 18 minutes in front of the Parliament. 18 minutes symbolising the #UNDI18 campaign.

Nur Rifayah, an 18-year-old spoke on behalf of the youth, had said, “We have had enough with the excuses given by the Perikatan Nasional (PN). We, the people of Malaysia, love the concept of democracy and the PN government cannot get rid of it.”