KUCHING: Undi18 will be a game changer for Sarawak politics – even if we don’t know for a fact if the youth will side Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) or opt to vote for new players.
In saying this, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (FSSH) deputy dean and senior lecturer Dr Arnold Puyok noted that there was data which indicated that the youth in Malaya had the tendency to vote for the opposition, but there was not much information on the perception of the youth in Sarawak.
“But based on our conversation with the young people in Sarawak, I think for them, it is still ‘Sarawak for Sarawakians’ and ‘Sarawak First’. They are more attracted to that,” he said during an online seminar on ‘2021 Sarawak State Election: Outcomes and Implications’ organised by UNIMAS FSSH yesterday (Feb 9).
He was of the view that such sentiment would win the support of the younger generation.
On top of this, he said the issue of governance was also important as well as addressing the real needs of the youth, including internet connectivity and employment opportunities.
“I think this will be the challenge for those in power, especially if they want to get the support of the young people in Sarawak,” said Arnold.
On the other hand, Dr Ngu Ik Tien, senior lecturer of the Department of Chinese Studies, Universiti Malaya (UM), felt that Undi18 might not totally change the current political landscape as young first-time voters would likely follow the voting pattern of their parents.
“Family is the one of the important agents of political socialisation – family is often the place where people first encounter politics,” she said.
However, when it comes to the Chinese votes, she opined that Undi18 would benefit the opposition such as Democratic Action Party (DAP) as young voters had not experienced the earlier transition from before the 14th general election (GE-14) to after.
“So they will look at the performance of DAP. It really depends on how they are going to reach out to the young voters.
“If they are active and diligent in providing services to their voters and supporters, I believe Undi18 will benefit parties like DAP and also new parties. This is because they will judge them not really based on history but the current development or services provided,” said Ngu.
Meanwhile, Assoc Prof Dr Novel Lyndon of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) FSSH emphasised the importance of identifying and fulfilling what was needed and desired by the younger generation, including internet connectivity and employment opportunities.
“If you fulfil what people want and need, I don’t think it would be a challenge to sustain political power,” he said.
Dr Lucy Sebli, senior lecturer of UNIMAS FSSH, said one of the reasons that DAP managed to attract a lot of the youth was that their candidates brought themselves down to the level of the younger generation and engaged with them.
“They involve them in decision-making and invite them to participate in organising events related to politics,” she said.
