Law minister Takiyuddin Hassan said today that following the decision made at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, the Election Commission (EC) must now settle some legal and technical matters in order to ensure those over the age of 18 can vote in the next general election.

In a statement, the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) said Takiyuddin “needs to give a clear date for the implementation of Undi18 immediately,” so that the progress of the policy’s implementation could be monitored by the public.

“The statement that it will be implemented ‘in the near future’ is open to interpretation and highly unconvincing to all parties.”

Late last month, the EC said the implementation of the lower voting age would be delayed until at least September 2022, citing the pandemic and the ensuing movement control orders as reasons for the deferment.

Bersih 2.0 questioned the abrupt U-turn made by the government.

“Had the government (earlier) deliberately wanted to delay the implementation of Undi18 and block the rights of 18-year-olds to go to the polls? Was the EC chairman following the Cabinet’s instructions to delay the implementation of Undi18?” the group asked.

“This raises the important question of whether the EC is still an independent body.”

Bersih 2.0’s call for a concrete timeline echoes those made by others such as MUDA and Umno Youth.

MUDA pro tem vice-president Lim Wei Jiet said the public “should not accept any implementation date beyond July,” as promised earlier.

Umno Youth said a firm date would prevent Putrajaya from being depicted as intentionally trying to put an end to the bipartisan agenda when the Undi18 bill was passed unanimously in the Dewan Rakyat two years ago.