PETALING JAYA: There is no issue for the Opposition to work with the government if it benefits the people, says MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.

He said he was approached by Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman during break time in Parliament on Wednesday (July 3) on the issue of amending the Federal Constitution to lower the voting age to 18.

"For MCA and I, there is no problem for the Opposition to cooperate with government for the good of the country and to fulfil the aspiration of the youths," he said, adding that

Dr Wee said the matter should be well received by mature opposition leaders.

"However, the amendment needs to be made holistically and with details related to political education, existing legislative reviews and such," he wrote in an Instagram post.

The post included a picture of himself and Syed Saddiq having a discussion in the Dewan Rakyat.

The proposed amendment to lower the voting age is expected to be tabled in Parliament on Thursday (July 4), and it is crucial for Pakatan Harapan to get the opposition on their side, as they do not have a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

Pakatan will have to seek the support of 148 lawmakers to pass the amendment to Article 119 (1) of the Federal Constitution.

With 129 MPs and another 10 from Parti Warisan Sabah and Upko combined, the government needs just nine more votes from either Barisan Nasional, PAS, Gabungan Parti Sarawak, Gabungan Bersatu Sabah, Parti Sarawak Bersatu or the three Independents.

In April, the Dewan Rakyat failed to meet the necessary two-thirds required to restore Sabah and Sarawak to their original status in the Malaysia Agreement 1962 (MA63), which saw only 138 lawmakers supporting the move.