PUTRAJAYA — Pakatan Harapan made history when it managed to get Members of Parliament (MPs) across the political divide to amend the federal constitution to lower the age of voters and election candidates to 18 on Tuesday (July 16).

After a four-hour debate, 211 out of 222 MPs voted in favour of the government’s amendment bill at the second and third readings. Constitutional amendments require the support of two-thirds of lawmakers.

No one voted against nor abstained at 6.45pm after the second and third readings. Eleven MPs were absent.

The debate that began with opposition leader Ismail Sabri Yaakob (Bera-BN) and ended with Shahidan Kassim (Arau-BN) saw 58 MPs debating the bill.

Malaysian prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad tabled the bill for the second reading earlier on Tuesday, before the debate began.

He had even written personally to each MP urging their support for the historic bill.

The amendments on Tuesday saw age 21 being substituted with 18 in Article 119 (1) on a citizen’s minimum voting age in the federal constitution.

Clause (4) was also amended to allow for automatic voter registration for 18-year-olds.

Article 47 was also amended to replace age 21 with 18 as the minimum age for a person to be elected to the legislative assembly.

Although the federal constitution has been amended numerous times over the years, this is only the second time in Parliament’s history that it has been altered when the ruling government did not have a two-thirds super majority.

A two-thirds super majority is defined as having the allegiance of 148 MPs or more in the 222-member Dewan Rakyat.

Pakatan only has direct control of 139 MPs. THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT