Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Wan Faysal Ahmad says that youths in Malaysia need to be educated first before exercising their voting rights.
In a statement posted on Facebook, he referred to an article that cited him saying “young Malaysians are not ready to exercise their voting rights and some form of political education needs to be institutionalized first.”
Wan Faysal added that his statement has been misunderstood and wants to explain what he really meant.
“I do voice my concern and firm belief that with the right to vote, there are also responsibilities that need to be fulfilled as citizens. The right to choose must be accompanied by a moral obligation to do so wisely,” he explained.
“As one of the supporters of ‘Undi 18’, I once voiced the same thing in an article titled “‘Undi 18’ led to national political change”.
“In the same article, I have emphasised about the need for voter education so that they can make fair decisions in any situation.”
He said that the statement he made in Clubhouse (an audio-only social media app for sharing constructive conversations between industry professionals) two days ago is no different from what he said almost two years ago.
He added that a country that adopts constitutional monarchy systems and parliamentary democracy like Malaysia requires voter education programmes which should include the supremacy of the Federal and State Constitutions, the rule of law, the role of kings as the umbrella of the country, and the key role of democracy to defend our country as an independent and sovereign nation.
“A democracy can only continue to stand if its people make the right decisions based on authentic information, not speculation and extrapolation. The media needs to play an important role in delivering true and fair reports to civil society,” he said.
“I once again wish to express my undivided support for ‘Undi 18’. This stance has not changed in the last two years, and I hope that this matter is reported fairly and without any hesitation.”
Wan Faysal ends his post saying that he would like to take this opportunity to call on all parties to continue the dialogue about this matter.
“The future of this beloved country depends entirely on the efforts of all of us. My door is always open, let’s succeed together,” he said.
Do the young people in Malaysia need to have voter education before being able to exercise their voting rights? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
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