“It will be useless if they don’t know what are they voting for or don’t understand the importance of voting,” she said in a comment on DAP vice-chairman M Kulasegaran’s suggestion.

Speaking to FMT, she said that even among registered voters, many chose not to exercise the right to choose their legislative representatives.

“Everyone should know why it is important to cast his or her vote,” she said. “It is only then that whatever we want to enforce will be successful.”

She said there was a lack of awareness among youths that their votes could bring about changes in the way the country was governed.

Kulasegaran’s suggestion came in the wake of a survey among youths that found 70% of the respondents uninterested in politics.

He also proposed that voter registration be made mandatory.

“We can see high participation in politics from young people in countries where they have lowered the voting age,” he said.

“I think lowering the voting age will spur more young people to be brave and get involved in politics.”