Talking politics with youths in cafe setting

Ti (standing) chatting with youths at the launch of Kafe Undi 18 tour in Kuantan.

THE Kafe Undi 18 tour has kicked off in Kuantan, Pahang, as part of the government’s bid to engage with young voters.

Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker said the tour organised by the Institute of Leadership Excellence and Development (i-LEAD) under the ministry would target young voters, especially first-timers, by instilling awareness, understanding and confidence in the election process.

“We are making Kuantan a test ground for the cafe concept where we can physically reach out to the youth who are normally preoccupied with social media.

“The events will be casual, flexible, leisurely and with less protocol, which is what the youth want these days,” he said after launching the tour here.

The first edition of the tour was in a centralised format, whereby students from training and education institutions were brought together at a venue for the event.

This time, Ti said, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as the Kuantan Youth Council, Kuantan Gerakan Belia 4B Malaysia and Young Malaysians Movement, would be mobilised to get youth participation.

Some 20 such events will be held in Kuantan until October.

“It is important to improve political literacy among the youth because we don’t want them to exercise their voting rights based on emotion and provocation.

“We want them to vote based on the principles of democracy, Rukun Negara and the Federal Constitution, beyond party and personality lines.

“We want people to discharge their responsibility on the basis of what is right for the country,” Ti stressed.

He said youth sentiment so far reflected their lack of interest in politics, with many having a wrong perception of the matter.

“Some told us that they do not believe in politics but no matter what, they have to accept the political process.

“The problem now is political literacy is not solid among Malaysians.

“Their concept of politics is mostly based on gossip.

“We want to get them involved in the election process so that they can put Malaysia back on track for stability and development,” Ti added.