Young people and young candidates with their youthful spirits are now arguably one of the most influential sectors of society, especially as the 15th general election is coming.
Young voters will play a role as kingmakers in this election cycle. This is understandably so because about five million young people have been automatically included in the electoral rolls.
By now, political parties are, to varying degrees, aware of socio-political changes that have made it necessary to address the needs of young people.
Regardless of their attitudes towards the participation of young people in the political arena, all political parties can’t deny the fact that youngsters nowadays are more well-informed than most people in the pre-Internet days.
For better or for worse, they have access to information that their parents or grandparents could only dream of in the past. And they have witnessed, among other things, the rise and fall of administrative systems in unstable nations including our own country.
Keeping in mind that the needs and desires of the country’s youth vary greatly, those who want to win them over ought to have inclusive and progressive party ideologies, platforms and programmes.
This does not mean surrendering too much to inexperienced youth, or kowtowing to overly liberal and progressive ideologues for fear of becoming ‘woke’ like western societies.
We want to make sure that the young can participate in the political process including voting whoever they prefer. This is because they have been quite loud, even claiming that successive governments had failed to do their best.
Youth demands should be always heard and considered by planners and implementers in corridors of power.
After all, the next generation will take over in the future. The seniors should instill in the young respect for the Federal constitution and the wisdom of uniting the diverse ethnic groups. Those in power need to be responsive, efficient, and equitable as today’s youth mature early and are capable of making wise decisions.
To get young people’s support, political parties must show them new things or ideas. And we do not want them to always associate the giving of mandate with power abuse and betrayal. When power is used for personal gain, political instability ensues. We do not want this to happen, nor do we want the country’s image to be repeatedly tarnished.
Fortunately, our young people are now being taken seriously. They are getting a lot of attention, which should be the case because their future well-being needs taking care off in the present. Not least among these needs are jobs after graduation. They want financial security, good government socioeconomic policies, and opportunities to contribute to society.
Being young, they have unique understanding of the world; their confidence must be developed; their ideas considered and incorporated into government plans and policies. What are deemed beneficial to them should be adopted so that they don’t feel sidelined from national consensus.
In every generation, young people are considered progressive by their elders. This is still true today, but what makes today’s youth different from their counterparts of yesteryears is, for the first time in Malaysian history those who are 18 years old are allowed to vote. This is extremely significant because a vote is a source of power.
Social media is the primary means of communication among young people, so political parties must be able to use the platforms or risk missing out on widespread connections. Sharing of information in cyber space can affect a lot of things including social perceptions.
Any topic that involves political parties can be inflamed and made into social media debates. This can be a form of indirect free marketing with which young people can influence one another.
Political parties ignore this at their own peril, or they can adopt the “If you can’t beat them, join them” adage.
In conclusion, it should be reiterated that there are lots of advantages in recognising the virtues of youth and embracing young people in the political arena. They are like a breath of fresh air and can help rejuvenate their waning elders by motivating them to get a second wind including turning up in droves at the polling booths.
The old must be renewed or replaced with the new, more dynamic and modern elements. By the same token, political parties must maximise the opportunities afforded them and approach this upcoming 15th general election with vigor, deep sincerity, great love of public service, and undying gratitude to those who vote them into power.
** Dr Nur Aida Kipli (PhD) is a senior lecturer at Universiti Teknologi MARA, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak.
The views expressed here are those of the analyst and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
