Undi18 co-founder Tharma Pillai said that after the implementation of the Bill, there was a race among political parties to field younger or new faces in the Johor and Melaka state polls.
Undi18 is a Malaysian youth movement that advocated for the amendment of Article 119(1) of the Federal Constitution to reduce the minimum voting age.
As an example, Mr Tharma pointed out that among BN’s slate of candidates for the Johor polls, 70 per cent of them were new faces.
Five of the coalition’s candidates were from UMNO’s youth wing, all of whom won their contests.
“Because of the large percentage of youth voters, there is recognition that you must prioritise and focus on the demands of this group. So, it has become a louder and more powerful political cohort in a way,” said Mr Tharma who was in Johor to observe the polls.
He said that political parties have to recognise that young voters are not political loyalists, unlike the older generation who tends to support one party.
“They (younger voters) are willing to change and try out new parties if you are not doing the right thing for them. This means that political parties must work harder on their promises.”
Mr Tharma pointed out that the youth narrative was also emphasised when former Johor chief minister Hasni Mohamad said he would make way for a younger candidate, with Mr Onn Hafiz Ghazi being appointed to the position.
However, Dr Mohd Yusri Ibrahim, a researcher from think-tank Ilham Centre, reportedly said in a voter analysis of the Johor polls that neither the EC nor political parties had held campaigns to mobilise young voters since the Undi18 Bill was passed in 2019.
“Although Undi18 was successfully fought for and youth won the right to vote, there was no follow-up action.”
Dr Bridget Welsh, an honorary research fellow of the University of Nottingham Malaysia’s Asia Research Institute, told CNA that more must be done to encourage young voters to go to the ballot boxes, adding that this group could be key for the upcoming national polls.
“Undi18 was less than 4 per cent of the overall electorate (in Johor), and turnout was less than half. As at least 15 seats were close, this group would have made an impact on the outcome (if they voted),” she posited.
“The overall picture emerges however that more needs to be done to engage this cohort and there is a need for greater voter education, as many young people did not even know they could vote,” Dr Welsh added.