The Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2022 will exclude the names of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, any Yang di-Pertua Negeri and his consort, any heir apparent and other heirs of a ruler and their consorts from automatically being listed in the Election Commission’s (EC) electoral roll.
“All 181 MPs present agreed, while 39 are absent. The bill has been approved,” Speaker Azhar Harun told the Dewan Rakyat.
He said the bill needed a two-thirds majority, or at least 148 votes, as it involved amending the Federal Constitution.
Earlier, law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the bill was tabled to add Article 119A to exempt the royal family from being automatically registered in the electoral roll as provided for in Article 119 of the Federal Constitution.
Article 119 of the Federal Constitution was amended in 2019 to reduce the voting age from 21 to 18 and to implement automatic voter registration.
Wan Junaidi said the proposed amendments had been mutually agreed by all state governments. He said the Cabinet had also agreed on the proposed amendments on March 4, and it was also among the matters finalised during the Conference of Rulers Meeting earlier this month.
While debating the bill, Hassan Abdul Karim (PH-Pasir Gudang) questioned whether the bill meant that the rulers would lose their right to vote.
“Does passing this bill mean we are moving forward in terms of democracy as a progressive society. Or is it a regressive move by taking away these rulers’ right to vote?,” he asked.
“I ask the minister to explain this because this is their (rulers) right too. Does the Dewan Rakyat want to deny them their rights and freedom?”
“I don’t want to see in the next five or 10 years, their heirs will march (in rallies like) Bersih 7, Bersih 8, to demand for their rights as voters as set out in the Federal Constitution.”
However, Hatta Ramli (PH-Lumut) interjected and asked if the rulers and their relatives could still apply to be voters, should they wish to, if the bill was passed.
In response Wan Junaidi later said that the amendment was not aimed at denying the royals their rights and that it was a matter which they had previously agreed on.