The Malaysian Insight

DESPITE the pessimism surrounding the youth vote, there are still some young Malaysians who believe that voting is the best way to bring change to the country, even if they don’t know for whom to vote.

The Malaysian Insight met these youth at a recent rally to commemorate the 71st anniversary of Angkatan Pemuda Insaf (API), a pre-independence political movement. 

Despite their enthusiasm, however, some were still undecided over which party to support – the ruling Barisan Nasional, which has led the country since independence, or the opposition Pakatan Harapan, which won 52% of the popular vote in 2013 and currently controls the state governments of Selangor, Penang and Kelantan. 

Public university student Nazeeha Ziarat Khan said she did not feel drawn to either side but the desire for change was too strong not to vote.

“I truly feel that both parties don’t really deliver (for) the people but then the country needs to change and if the change is going to be made by our votes, then we need to do what we have to do,” she told The Malaysian Insight at the rally, adding that it will be the first time she is voting.

The 23-year-old from Damansara said she would wait to see the quality of candidates from the opposition’s side, besides the PH manifesto.

“You cannot rely much on a manifesto and change cannot come about through manifestos. 

“It’s about collective action which must come from the leaders as well, so we have (to assess) the leader,” she said.

Nazeeha’s sentiments are captured in a recent survey by Institut Darul Ehsan (IDE), which found that two-thirds of voters aged between 21 and 30 have yet to decide which side to vote for in GE14.

Another poll by Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research released in September found that 70% of youths did not care for politics and the same number felt they had no influence over government policymaking.

Malaysians under 30 form two-thirds of the 3.7 million not registered but eligible voters in the country. Watan, a civil society group that conducts voter registration, as well as seasoned political observers, have expressed worry that today’s youth no longer have the zeal to vote.

Another undecided young voter who wanted to be known as Choo, said he understood that voting was his duty as a citizen.

“It’s my responsibility to my country and my society. I have registered as a voter but I’m still not sure which party I’m going to give my vote. I will see their manifesto first,” said the 23-year-old from Ampang. 

Ishak Saufi, 26 from Cheras, said he looked forward to voting in a general election for the second time as he did not want to give BN any “advantage”.

“That’s what the government wants, for youth not to vote and for those who support the government to turn up and vote. 

“(It feels like) not every vote counts when you have issues like gerrymandering, but it’s about you (and individual change),” he said.

Another public university student, Aina from Gombak said she understood why some youth chose not to vote due to lack of youth representation in both BN and PH.

“But if we don’t vote, the ruling party is going to stay for another term. When we choose to vote we can decide the leadership of the country but we don’t have the say if we choose not to vote,” she said. 

But two young voters told The Malaysian Insight they did not feel the need to vote to bring about change.

Mohammad Alshatrim is a registered voter and has participated in political events over the past few years, but for GE14, the 25-year-old has decided not to go to the ballot box.

“Not voting doesn’t mean I’m not participating in politics. 

“I’m still participating like joining the API rally. Voting is not the only way to show your participation in political events because you can do that in so many ways,” he said. 

Hafiz Hassim, 23, from Kedah said the reason he didn’t want to vote was because both coalitions did not represent the interests of youth.

“They (BN and PH) don’t represent my aspirations, so why would I vote for them?

“I know some people say every vote counts but whoever is going to rule the country doesn’t represent our voice.”

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Azalina Othman Said also recently said 1.97 million new voters were registered between 2013 and June this year. – December 29, 2017.