Why is the voting age deferral causing calls for resignations?

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Opposition MPs Demand Resignations Over Undi18 Deferral

Opposition Members of Parliament are calling for the resignations of Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and de facto Law Minister Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan following the decision to postpone the implementation of lowering the voting age to 18. This deferral, announced by the Election Commission (EC) to September 1, 2022, is viewed by these MPs as a significant breach of trust and an affront to the parliamentary process. The opposition argues that this postponement constitutes a collective failure of the Cabinet, given its responsibility to Parliament.
Betrayal of Parliamentary Approval

The core of the opposition's grievance lies in the perceived betrayal of a commitment made to Parliament. In November 2020, Minister Takiyuddin Hassan had assured the Dewan Rakyat that the Federal Constitution would be amended to enable 18-year-olds to vote by July 2021. This statement was made in the context of an amendment that had received overwhelming support, with approximately 95% or 211 MPs voting in favour in 2019, followed by approval from 47 state assemblymen in the Dewan Negara. The subsequent announcement by the EC to delay this initiative until September 2022 is seen as a direct contradiction of these prior parliamentary undertakings.
Collective Cabinet Responsibility Cited

Opposition MPs contend that the decision to defer Undi18 falls under the principle of collective Cabinet responsibility as outlined in Article 43(3) of the Federal Constitution. They assert that the Cabinet, as a whole, is accountable to Parliament for its actions and decisions. Therefore, the postponement of the voting age reduction is not merely an administrative issue but a collective failure by the Cabinet. Given that both Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and Minister Takiyuddin Hassan were among the 211 MPs who had previously agreed to the amendment, their leadership is being directly challenged.
EC Cites Pandemic as Reason for Delay

The Election Commission has attributed the delay in implementing Undi18 to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The EC stated that the pandemic has created unforeseen obstacles and persistent issues, compounded by the various movement control orders (MCO) that have been enforced. These factors necessitated a re-evaluation of the implementation timeline, leading to the decision to postpone the initiative. The EC's announcement of the deferral until September 1, 2022, aims to provide a new target date for the operationalisation of the lowered voting age.

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Why is the voting age deferral causing calls for resignations?

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