Singapore not lowering voting age from 21 to 18: Chan Chun Sing
SINGAPORE — The Singapore government has no plans to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 years old.
In a written reply to a question filed in Parliament by Nee Soon GRC MP Lim Wee Kiak on Monday (5 August) on whether the government would review the voting age, Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing said that the government “currently does not plan to lower the voting age”.
Replying on behalf of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, he wrote that the government adopts a “graduated approach” in setting the various legal ages at which an individual can take on responsibilities.
“A person’s rights and responsibilities gradually increase as one matures, until the common law age of majority of 21, when a person comes of age to make decisions as an adult and engages in activities that involve significant personal responsibility,” Chan wrote in his reply.
“Voting in elections involves making serious choices, which requires experience and maturity. Voters elect the President who exercises the custodial and veto powers under the Constitution. Voters also choose their MP and, in so doing, decide on the group of individuals who will eventually form the Government.”
Chan said that, if the minimum age is to be lowered now, about 130,000 youths would become eligible to vote.
He added that the government recognises that many youths want a voice in national matters and wish to make a difference. “We will continue to keep such channels and platforms open for youths to express their views, and contribute to nation building,” he wrote.
On Saturday, Progress Singapore Party founder Tan Cheng Bock had called during his party launch for the voting age to be lowered to 18, noting that 18 is the predominant voting age around the world.
Last month, Malaysia passed a bill to lower its voting age to 18 years old. This makes Singapore the only ASEAN nation which still puts its voting age as 21 instead of 18.
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