GE15: Young voters still unsure of the value of their vote

PETALING JAYA: While most young voters are geared up for the upcoming 15th General Election (GE15), some are still pondering whether they should cast their vote.

Syafinaz Suleiman, 19, said while she was eligible to vote, she was still unsure if her vote would still matter.

"I saw how disastrous the previous general election was and I worry that even if we manage to topple the current government, another backdoor incident may happen again," she said.

Syafinaz, who is a part-time barista, described the current political scene as "chaotic" and "unorganised."

"We have seen three prime ministers in three years. I don't think any other country has seen such a thing just yet.

"We also cannot deny that there is instability in the political arena which I hope will not bring Malaysia to its knees," she said.

She added that it sounded more idealistic than realistic to think that young voters would be able to change the Malaysian political scene.

"We need young voters to understand how powerful their votes can be, but I also fear that that they may vote just because it's 'trendy'.

"I believe many young Malaysians lack enough knowledge regarding our political scene," she said.

Lim Guan Yan, 20 said he felt that voting was a waste of his time.

"Our political scene is filled with middle-aged and old people conquering the stage.

"So the issues that millennials and Gen Z face are not seen as worrying," he said.

He said it seemed idealistic to think that young voters would bring change when election candidates are those out of touch to the wants and needs of the younger generation.

"There are many concerning issues such as our education system and the high cost of living.

"However, what we see instead are politicians fighting for issues that aren't pressing," he said.

Meanwhile, another commenter who wanted to be known as Kavin, 21 said the reason he would vote was because he believed all votes – including his – could bring change for the betterment of Malaysia.

"Malaysia's current political scene is in a state of confusion. For the past two years, our country has been through multiple ups and downs paired with poor communication from our government on how to resolve our problems.

"Young voters can change the political scene if we voice our opinions and cast our votes for the party who has shown us better manifestos," he said.

Mahindran, 24, said that all young people should vote

"Young voters can make a huge difference to the current political scene as we're more aware of our country's political and social issues thanks to the advancement of technology and a burning desire to get more involved in the political development of our country," he said.

Both agreed that the younger generation are more aware of changing trends and developments and more adaptable to such changes.

Following the gazettement of the Undi-18 Bill on Jan 14, 2022, which amends the Election Act, Malaysians aged 18 or older as at Dec 31, 2021, are automatically registered in the electoral roll.

With this, there are about eight million new voters in the country.