Perikatan: The young will judge us by our promises

PETALING JAYA: The sentiments of youth voters are fluid and it is crucial that coalitions live up to their promises to avoid being punished at the ballot box, says Bersatu information chief Datuk Razali Idris.

He said Perikatan Nasional’s analysis of field data indicate that many youth are closely watching if the government has delivered on its electoral pledges.

“Voters aged between 18 to 21 are always changing (their support). From the data that I analysed as well as the first-time voters I spoke to on the ground, they switch their support every two weeks. They want to see whether or not the government has delivered on its promises,” said Razali, whose party is a member of Perikatan, along with PAS.

He claimed that due to unfulfilled promises by the government, such as in addressing the cost of living, there is an increasing number of youths leaning towards Perikatan.

Razali said as an Opposition coalition, Perikatan could not make many promises to voters but that it would strive towards ensuring government integrity.

“We are against corruption and the abuse of power,” he said, adding that while Muslim voters are mostly leaning towards Perikatan, non-Muslims are supporting the unity government.

“Social media is Perikatan’s main media platform, where we interact with voters and explain the achievements in the states we administer. I’m expecting more Malay youths to support Perikatan due to this,” he said.

Razali said data by the Election Commission shows that Perikatan has more youth votes compared with either Pakatan Harapan or Barisan Nasional in the 15th General Election (GE15) last November.

“In the six state elections, I’m expecting support to increase,” he said, adding that Perikatan has strategies to woo youth voters.

PAS information chief Khairil Nizam Khirudin believes that voting trends may not be that starkly different from those in GE15, given the short interval of just a few months between the national polls and these six state elections.

Khairil Nizam described Pakatan working with Umno as a “game changer, especially for voters who had previously sympathised with Umno but now feel cheated”.

PKR voters, he added, might also feel disappointed with certain U-turn decisions on the party’s ideals, such as political appointments to head government-linked companies.

“We are confident that we will get youth votes like what we got in GE15,” said Khairil Nizam.