18-year-olds in Malaysia complex, pragmatic, ready to vote: Think tank

Kuala Lumpur — 18-year-olds are more complex and pragmatic than political parties think, and are unlikely to fall prey to appeals based on emotion and sentiment, said Merdeka Centre.

Executive director of the think tank Ibrahim Suffian said the odds are that they will vote based on bread-and-butter issues, such as jobs and wages, rather than be swayed by racial and religious matters.

He was responding to concerns that 18-year-olds are not mature enough to vote, and can be easily duped by emotive political rhetoric and fake news.

Speaking on Malaysian talk show Bicara Naratif on Tuesday night (July 23), Mr Ibrahim said these young voters, who will soon be on the electoral roll, will be intensely courted by the two main pacts: the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) and opposition Umno-PAS partnership.

Both coalitions believe they have the upper hand among this critical segment, he said.

“PH thinks 18-year-olds are like blank slates that can be filled with their values, and that they have the time to fulfil this segment’s demands.

“On the Umno-PAS side, they see these youngsters from the demographic perspective as the majority of them are Malay-Muslims. So, in the context of the identity politics that these parties are pushing, it’s an advantage to them.”

The reality, however, is more complex. Youth are influenced by many factors, including culture, socio-economic status, feelings of regionalism and their individual backgrounds.

“Generally, they have the same voice, and they want the government to overcome economic pressures, to increase incomes. Very pragmatic concerns about bread-and-butter issues,” said Mr Ibrahim.

To attract this segment, he said, political parties cannot just harp on race and religion.

“The ability to deliver on promises, to put out concrete proposals, are very important. I think young people want authenticity, leaders who are honest and have integrity.”

The Dewan Rakyat recently passed a historic constitutional amendment to lower the voting age to 18 from 21. This will add about 7.8 million voters to the electoral roll, bringing Malaysia’s electorate to about 22.7 million.

Mr Ibrahim revealed that the think tank’s latest survey on political sentiments showed that young voters have changed their feelings towards the PH government from “positive” to “on the fence”.

“The main factor for this change is dissatisfaction over unfulfilled promises on the economy, tolls and cost of living.”

Mr Ibrahim, along with Atiqah Syairah Shaharuddin of the Malaysian Youth Council, backed the move to lower the voting age, in the belief that it will lead to a maturing of the country’s political culture.

He said helping youth become community leaders or get engaged in social movements can encourage them to be involved in civic life soon after leaving school.

“This is an opportunity that should be seized to transform them, so that they are not obsessed with the latest handphone models or which artiste is the most popular. They can be made community leaders, like (education activist) Malala Yousafzai and (climate activist) Greta Thunberg.” THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT