VOTING AGE

Mr Shriniwas Rai asked the Prime Minister whether he will consider amending the Constitution to reduce the age of voting to 18 years.

Mr Goh Chok Tong: The qualifications to be a voter are provided in the Parliamentary Elections Act, not the Constitution. Section 5 of that Act provides that a voter must be not less than 21 years of age.

We are a young country with only 32 years of history. Singapore has, so far, operated very successfully with its model of democracy. This includes the minimum voting age of 21 years. There are no pressing reasons to change the minimum voting age. I am, therefore, inclined to leave it as it is.