KUALA LUMPUR: Individuals with calibre, capable of solving people’s issues and social media literate — these are among the characteristics that young voters, aged 18 to 21, who will be voting for the first time to elect their representatives in the 15th general election (GE15) — are looking for.
According to a majority of the newly automatically registered voters, they also want elected representatives who have the capability of uniting the community, regardless of political affiliation, skin colour or religion, in addition to listening efficiently to the voice of the people.
Tuition teacher Lorrine Elspeth Lumandan, 20, from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, hopes that the elected representatives always keep their promise to change the fate of the people and not just on the basis of the manifesto.
“They should always be concerned about the welfare of the local community by going to the field to see their problems for themselves, listen to the people’s complaints and try their best to ease their burden.
“In addition, elected representatives also need to know how to utilise social media in conveying messages to the people, especially the young generation, because most of our time is spent using social media,” said Lorrine, who will be voting in the Sepanggar parliamentary constituency.
Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) student Nurqistina Safea Mohd Rashidi, 19, is of the view that the representatives who will be elected in GE15 need to be sensitive to the voices of young people by caring about the welfare and education of the country.
Nurqistina Safea who will return to her hometown in Ipoh, Perak, to cast her ballot paper for the first time on Nov 19, also wants a special platform for young people to interact with political party leaders and their representatives through social media.
“I will also look at the public’s acceptance of the leader on social media, and their credibility based on the comments and feedback from their followers,” she said, adding that she will also follow the current developments of the candidates who will contest through the news.
Meanwhile, a diploma student of the Kolej Yayasan Pelajaran Johor S. SharvinJay Nath, 19, who will be voting in the Iskandar Puteri parliamentary constituency, said that it is high time for political parties to give opportunities to young people to take the lead in local leadership through GE15.
“I believe the young leaders are more enthusiastic and efficient in carrying out their responsibilities because apart from having stamina they are also diligent in going to the field to do charity work, especially during the floods as well as other disasters.
“The message they convey to the people is also easier to understand, especially among young people, because they are also literate in social media and are often creative in conveying current issues to their followers,” he said.
Based on the electoral roll age statistics, as of Oct 9, a total of 1,393,549 voters aged 18 to 20 nationwide will vote for the first time in GE15.
The Election Commission set the polling day for GE15 on Nov 19, nomination day on Nov 5 and early voting on Nov 15. – BERNAMA
