GEORGE TOWN: Voter registration should be automatic once a person reaches the eligible age to vote.
Datuk Keramat assemblyman Jagdeep Singh Deo said Sunday that voter registration exercises were outdated as Malaysians now have MyKads that contained all necessary information.
Once they reached the eligible age, all they had to do was to produce their MyKad at the polling stations to cast their vote, he said.
“This will also save time and cost for the Election Commission (EC) which can concentrate on ensuring a smooth election process on election day,” he told reporters after he and his service team members met residents of Taman Free School at the area’s market to encourage them to register as voters.
Jagdeep Singh also called on the Government to make voting compulsory as the EC had reported that, of the 15.47 million citizens who are above 21 years old, only 11.08 million were registered as voters.
“In some countries, voting is compulsory and eligible voters who do not vote are penalised,” he said.
He also said that, with only 11.08 million registered voters, it clearly showed that the EC had failed in its duty.
Jagdeep Singh said the EC should consider reducing the voting age from 21 to 18, as out of the 221 countries worldwide, only 15 countries including Malaysia still has the voting age at 21.
“Clearly we are not moving with the times.
“If we are serious about becoming a truly developed and international class country, we should seriously consider reducing the age of voting eligibility to 18.
“Our citizens aged 18 and above can be considered to be mature enough to consider the current issues and vote responsibly,” he added.
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