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19th March, 2010
KUALA LUMPUR: The government has no plans to introduce an automatic voters’ registration system upon reaching the age of 21, the Dewan Rakyat was told yesterday.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said the government would continue with the existing procedures and policies and would not force the people to exercise their rights.
“During election, we cannot force people to vote, we exercise freedom of association, freedom of expression and freedom to make decision. We feel that if they are not interested in registering as voters, it is their choice,” said Nazri when answering a question by Fong Po Kuan (DAP-Batu Gajah) at the Dewan Rakyat here yesterday.
Fong had wanted to know if the government was not in favour of a proposal made by Election Commission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof on March 16, that an automatic voters’ registration system would save costs, time and reduce bureaucracy.
Nazri said the government would however, continue to encourage the people to register as voters, especially the younger generation.
“If the youths do not want to go the registration centres, we will take the registration centres to them, namely at shopping malls,” he said.
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