Hoping to be counted

Diverse participation: Youth inclusion as parliamentary and state assembly representatives could rejuvenate the country’s political scene.

FACED with a volatile political climate, frustrated young people want to have more say and play a more active role in determining the country’s future. Especially since policies introduced now, in the midst of the pandemic, will have significant repercussions in the coming decade.

This is why many youths are urging the new government to speed up the implementation of Undi18, a Constitutional amendment which allows for automatic voter registration (AVR), lowers the voting age from 21 to 18, and makes 18 the minimum age to contest in federal and state elections. Although the initial plan was for Undi18 to be implemented in July this year, it has since been postponed to September 2022.