The Malaysian Insight

MALAYSIA’S political landscape will undergo a dramatic change if the voting age is lowered from 21 to 18, analysts and political activists said.

If the law to lower the voting age is passed in the current Parliament sitting, more than 1.5 million teenage voters could be added to the electoral list.

Parliament has to amend Article 119(1) of the federal constitution to lower the voting age.

The analysts agreed that these new teenage voters will force political parties to change not only their style and language but also the narrative of their political objectives.

Political activist Hishamuddin Rais said political parties from both sides of the divide would no longer be able to dish out the same old stale sentiments or come out with pledges of development.

”They can no longer have a manifesto promising a bridge… nothing to merely solicit for votes only,” he told The Malaysian Insight, suggesting that younger voters are not as susceptible as the older ones.

What is obvious, he said, is that political parties now need to present a long-term plan, for what the future holds for these new young voters.

”Political parties need to broaden their thinking. For example, they need to state their stand on issues affecting the world, like global warming.

“They should not peddle petty issues like going to the mosque or say it’s haram (for Muslims) to join in Christmas celebrations,” he said.

Political lecturer Tunku Mohar Tunku Mohd Mokhtar of the International Islamic University Malaysia said the new changes would mean political parties need to draw up a new narrative by taking into account the needs of young voters.

”The new challenge for political parties is how to attract the support of these new voters.

“Parties should take into account their interests and what they believe in,” he said.

For Universiti Teknologi Malaysia lecturer Mazlan Ali, democracy in Malaysia will take another step forward with the lowering of the voting age.

This, he added, could make young Malaysians become more matured.

”We are going to produce a more matured generation.

“As young Malaysians get early exposure to politics, we will definitely produce more young leaders,” the senior political and public policy lecturer said.

Mazlan is also of the view that young voters should be exposed to national politics early.

”They need to be exposed to our parliamentary democratic system as early as 16 (years old), when they are in Form 4.

”Otherwise, these young voters will behave like dolls, brainless, have no clue what they are supposed to do and will follow what they’ve been told,” he said.

However, the lowering of voting age could also backfire on the ruling party if they carry on with unpopular policies which affect the youths.

Universiti Malaya political and cultural lecturer Awang Azman Awang Pawi said, for example, young people are generally dissatisfied with the current government on education and employment issues, and, as such, they could lean more towards opposition parties during polls.

”The young people are more interested about education and employment – promises of the Pakatan Harapan government.

”The failure to deliver on the promises had triggered a lack of the confidence on Pakatan Harapan,” he said.

However, Mazlan believes the government still has the advantage in reaching out to these young people as they control the public educational institutions.

Last week, Election Commission chairman Azhar Azizan Harun said the proposed amendment to the federal constitution to lower the voting age would be tabled in Parliament in this ongoing sitting. – July 4, 2019.