Sabah UiTM’s Tony Paridi Bagang noted that the government has exposed itself to a free-for-all by the public, especially the opposition.
“Public perceptions can be manipulated by any party as this issue could be spun and subsequently create an unfavourable situation for the government,” he told FMT.
“But, at the same time, this puts the oppositions at a crossroads on whether to keep pressuring for snap elections or just wait until Undi18 is put into effect.
“However, to be fair to the government, they can’t rush to execute it if the Election Commission (EC) and other agencies involved are not ready.”
EC chairman Abdul Ghani Salleh said yesterday the automatic registration of 18-year-olds as voters was expected to be delayed until after September 2022.
He said the movement restrictions due to the pandemic had disrupted the EC’s preparations to implement the policies.
His disclosure has sparked criticisms from politicians and non-governmental organisations, with one – Undi18 – planning to take Putrajaya to court over the delay.
Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) senior lecturer Romzi Ationg said the delay suggested that the government was unconvinced with the political views held by the youths.
“(It could be) the politicians in the ruling government opined that all youths will vote against them,” he said.
Romzi said youths have less political baggage, which means they have a bigger desire to vote compared to their older counterparts.
He said youths could also play an important role in weeding out the culture of party-hopping.
Lee Kuok Tiung, also of UMS, does not believe that young voters are more susceptible towards casting their ballots for a certain political faction.
Despite the hype that youths will vote for the opposition, he said, it is still up to the political parties to reach out to them for their support.
“Nobody can claim these Undi18 voters are with them or will support them – not DAP, Pakatan Harapan, PN or Barisan Nasional.
“It is sad that it is doubtful now whether those aged between 18 and 20 can participate in the coming general election,” he said.
Lee also said that while he agreed the voting age should be lowered to 18, he disagreed with automatic registration.
This, he said, was partly due to allegations and issues related to phantom voters, fake identity cards and Projek IC in Sabah.
“We know that it is beyond EC’s scope of power or responsibility to investigate suspected fake identity cards or birth certificates, but we need to clear all these issues first before we can proceed with the automatic registration,” he said.