AT the tail end of 2020, Sarawak was among the first states in Malaysia to amend its State Constitution to lower the voting age to 18 years old from 21 years old.
It also lowered the minimum age required for a person to become an elected representative from 21 to 18 years old through the Constitution of the State of Sarawak (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
This puts the State Constitution in line with the amended Article 47(b) and Article 119(1)(a) of the Federal Constitution also known as the Undi18 Bill which was passed in Parliament in mid-2019.
With Undi18 now in effect since December last year, a number of Sarawak-based parties have taken this in stride and set up new wings in their parties to accommodate youth members in this category.
Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), the backbone to the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) state government with 47 seats in the 82-member State Legislative Assembly, has set up its Pergerakan Belia wing for members aged 18 to 28.
PBB vice-president Dr Annuar Rapaee was tasked with spearheading the committee to set up the new wing. A deputy minister in the state government, he said it is high time that PBB rejuvenate itself to remain relevant in the now youth-centric political environment.
“PBB has always been a party that prepares future leaders in Sarawak being the backbone of the ruling government,” he told New Sarawak Tribune.
Believing that the trend in global politics is now shifting to younger representations as witnessed by the younger age of national leaders, he said age is now irrelevant for the people to elect its leaders.
“The people are looking at those who are knowledgeable and well educated as is the case in neighbouring countries Indonesia and Singapore.
“This trend is not as obvious yet in our country but I have no doubt that this will happen in Malaysia and PBB (along with its leaders) will have to give way and accommodate the young leaders within the party,” he said.
The cardiologist-turned-politician said while there would be arguments raised on the level of experience that young leaders possess in leading the nation and state, this can be acquired swiftly given the level of education of the younger generation.
“PBB strongly believes that we have to accommodate the youth and I am pleased to note that during the last PBB Supreme Council election, we elected a young leader to our ranks.
“Syed Hamzah Wan Hamid Edruce made history, being youngest to be elected into the Supreme Council, of course there were sceptics but he managed to pull through.
“I think the grassroots also realise the importance of giving way to the youth, that is why they have spoken in the last PBB convention on this issue, electing him to the Supreme Council.”
At the same time, Dr Annuar said there should be more youth-centric policies to accommodate the youths and be in line with their aspirations.
“The expectations have changed and the education level has changed and the role they should play also has changed.
“I think this is important for us to have a policy that can fulfil the aspirations of the youth and enhance their capability and upgrade their skills and talent in the future,” he said.
Understanding urban youth aspirations
Similarly, PBB’s long-time partner in the state government, the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) is looking to follow the former’s footsteps.
The oldest political party in Sarawak, SUPP rebounded in the last state election winning 13 out of 20 seats. It had reduced arch-nemesis Sarawak Democratic Action Party (DAP) to only two seats in southern Sarawak.
Earlier this year, the urban-based party said it will amend its constitution to set up two new wings to cater for the Undi18 generation, dubbed the ‘Muda’ and ‘Puteri’ wings.
SUPP Youth chief Michael Tiang told New Sarawak Tribune that this is still in the pipelines and the details will be made public during their launch which will be announced by the party.
“With new wings focusing on the specific group, the party could understand better the needs and aspiration of the youth and women.
“As the state placed great importance on grooming the young and women to lead the state in the future, creating new wings would give them the opportunity to learn about leadership,” he said.
Tiang, a deputy minister in the state government, said however, more needs to be done to encourage youth participation in politics.
“I think the participation of youth in politics is not very active. We do need more participation from the youth so that they will understand how the government works.
“The young have a voice and politics is the place for their voice to be heard,” he said.
Expressing his hope for the new wings, Tiang said they must find its footing in politics and compliment the overall strength of the party.
“I hope that the youth will not just understand about serving the people, but go out and make a difference in society.”
The first-term assemblyman believed that youths are the biggest assets to politics in Sarawak and hoped that with the new wings, it will can inspire urban youths to do better and always strive for excellence in what they are doing.
Meanwhile, Sarawak DAP, an opposition urban-based outfit, said youths are more aware of the importance of politics in their life and the party needs to continue to empower them.
Democratic Action Party Socialist Youth (DAPSY) chief Dr Kelvin Yii said the Sarawak chapter of the party though will not set up a specific wing for those aged between 18 and 28, it has involved more youths directly in its state committee.
He said the party opted for young members aged below 35 to be in the state committee, empowering them to make decision state-wide directly.
“We have seen an increasing number of young people also getting themselves involved in politics and we Sarawakians shouldn’t be left behind and allow only the older generations to fully control politics and even decide on matters that concern us.
“We need to play our part to set the direction of our country,” the Bandar Kuching MP told New Sarawak Tribune.
Dr Yii said DAP while being a national party, its Sarawak chapter does have an autonomy to make important decisions, including on seat negotiations and candidate selection, without the need for approval by the national leadership.
“And throughout history, DAP not just in Sarawak, has given opportunities to young candidates to contest in state and parliament levels.
“On average we are the youngest in terms of overall age for MPs, ADUNs in the whole country,” he said.
Rural youths must benefit too
PBB and SUPP’s inroads into youths in Sarawak is also not lost on GPS component Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS).
The rural based outfit which captured the support of Dayaks in rural Sarawak with eleven seats in the state assembly is in the midst of transforming itself to be more youth friendly.
PRS secretary-general Datuk Janang Bungsu said the party had set up a new wing named PEWARIS in March this year for youths aged 18 to 28.
He said the wing is being headed by the party’s youngest elected representative, Baleh assemblyman Nicholas Kudi Jantai.
“We will work closely with other GPS component parties especially PBB, as they are the backbone of GPS in reaching out to the younger youths in the age range,” he told New Sarawak Tribune.
He said the new wing is important as youth involvement will be key to political reform in the country.
“We believe we must adapt to the current changes in this new political arena. Our approach and strategies have to be formulated in a way that touches the heart of the young people.
Janang said it is crucial that PRS attracts youths through activities or programmes that resonate with the group be it social, sports or politics.
“For the youths to be directly involved in politics as they reach 18, it might be too rushed. Hence, they need time to be able to have interest in it or else we might end up losing their interest totally,” he said.
He said political parties must allow more younger leaders to climb up the party hierarchies and field younger candidates in upcoming elections.
“My hope for the new wing is that it will be able to carry out initiatives and create positive impact in reaching out to our rural youth. Start doing something that is tangible with short- and long-term impacts.”
Meanwhile, Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) is eyeing a similar move, according to its vice-president Datuk Dr Penguang Manggil.
He personally believed that the party should have a similar structure due to the advent of the Undi18 which will see a slew of new voters in the upcoming election.
Stressing the impact of the new group of electorate, he said it is crucial that the group be drafted into active politics.
“All political parties should have a similar structure because of Undi18 where the youth of the age group 18 to 21 can vote even though only 20 per cent of the newly registered voters are from this category.”
Penguang said the age group is vulnerable and easily influenced by what is happening around them given their exposure to the social media.
The deputy minister said engagement is key for the group, involving them in community-based programmes with the locals as a means to empower them.
“It is important that they be brought in and involved in the mainstream of our political system and ecosystem from the young age.
“This is so that they are set in the right political footing and ideology and not be influenced by politics of hatred, self-destruction and division that are apparently increasing of late.”
