I read with great interest an article on #ForwardTogether by the Organisation for National Empowerment (ONE). I wholeheartedly agree with their call for the electorate to “vote for a party which you believe can take us ahead.” At a time of uncertainty, there is a need to understand the civic deficit involving young people, its consequences, and what we can do to address it.

Civic crisis among young people in Malaysia

The controversy surrounding the #UndiRosak movement is a reflection of the civic health in Malaysia. Young Malaysians are increasingly frustrated about the excessive political bickering among politicians from both sides of the divide while others have been turned off by politics. A recent Merdeka Centre poll commissioned by Watan (youth voter registration NGO) found 71% of young voters felt they have no influence on government. It is no surprise, then, that 65% of all unregistered voters are between 21 and 30 years old — a whopping 2.5 million. While I respect the proponents of #UndiRosak and their legitimate grievances, I disagree with their approach. Spoiling one’s vote, even to send a message to the politicians, is ineffective.

Lack of youth participation and vicious cycle of neglect
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The reality is politicians respond to voters. When young people are disillusioned, they stay out of the political process. As a result, they don’t vote in elections in large numbers (or if they do, they spoil their votes). In turn, political parties make little effort to engage young people as there is little incentive to gain their votes. This creates a vicious cycle of neglect of young people. The consequences can be detrimental for the youth. In the United States, only half of the young eligible electorate participated in the last presidential election, culminating in the rise of President Donald Trump. In the Brexit referendum, close to half of young British voters chose to stay at home. In extreme cases, political parties have discounted young people altogether. In the Netherlands, the 50PLUS party caters solely to pensioners and doubled their votes and representatives recently due to the lack of youth participation. Young voters cannot afford to risk our country’s future as we will be living in it, not our older counterparts.

The young can make a difference through the ballot box

We should not underestimate our power as young voters because we have the numbers. In the last general election, it was estimated that first-time voters (including yours truly) made up one-fifth of the 13.3 million eligible voters. The young are a powerful voting bloc, and we can influence the outcome of the election. Our collective power can pressure politicians from both sides to address youth issues such as affordable housing, cost of living, and career opportunities. It is easy for us to feel detached and confused from the national political discourse, dominated by old personalities. Therefore, during the election, it is crucial that we focus on our local community. Personally, I make a decision between the competing candidates based on their personality and track record, not their political parties. It is crucial we carefully select our state assemblyperson (ADUN) and member of parliament (MP) for they will be responsible for our community. Whoever it is, when you are at the ballot box, make a decision — don’t waste it.

Despite the pessimism towards politics, we must remember our actions will have repercussions on our generation and future generations. Our country may not be a perfect democracy but it works. We have the room and space to make a difference as citizens. At times of uncertainty, we can appreciate responsible and balanced calls such as from ONE on #ForwardTogether for voters to make objective and well-informed decisions. In the words of American feminist Gloria Steinem, “Voting isn’t the most we can do. But it is the least.”

You can find this article on Free Malaysia Today at ​http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2018/02/24/moving-malaysia-forwardtogether/

Applying for Perdana Fellows Programme was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in life. Where or when would you ever get an opportunity to work for the Cabinet Ministers when you’re studying or right after you graduate? Perdana Fellows Programme is that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When I was successfully selected to be a Fellow, I did not get the Minister of my preference. For my policy essay, I had passionately written about fighting corruption but was selected under the Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, Dato’ Amar Douglas Uggah Embas. I didn’t even know that Ministry existed—betcha you didn’t know, too. But I had an open mind—you’ll need to have an open mind if you want to be a Fellow. 

My Minister, Dato’ Amar Douglas—an experienced Iban leader from Sarawak took me with open arms. For the first few week initial weeks, fellow colleague and I shadowed the Minister by following him everywhere he went—meetings, officiating ceremonies, dinners, visiting agencies. During these times, you’ll get first-hand experience a day in a life of a Minister. It’s not easy to be a Minister: grueling daily schedule, pressure to perform, balancing between work and family and at times, needing to deal with unfair criticism. Being a Minister is a thankless job; nobody commends you for a job well done but rest assured, if you make a minor mistake, you’ll face an onslaught. 

Once we were comfortable with the Minister and his office, we were given assignments ranging from handling corporate communication and assisting the ministry officials to organising motivational events for students. It’s never a dull day as a Perdana Fellow. If you don’t have any work to do, it’s up to you to make best of that time. As a Fellow, you’ll need to be able to add value to your Minister, Ministry and government. I was proud to do my small part, for example: assisting my ministry in growing my Ministry’s Facebook page from 299 likes to 5,800 likes; reviewing the National Commodities Policy; and co-organising the biggest Sarawakian event in Peninsular Malaysia. My Minister was very supportive of me and gave me room to freely contribute to him and his ministry.

Perdana Fellows Programme accelerated my personal and professional development. It put me in a place where I had to grow or suffer. As it was the first time programme was organised—I won’t lie—there were some issues affecting the Fellows generally (e.g. administrative, fitting in). We saw opportunity in these problems. We took our own initiative to address these issues by hold meetings among ourselves. Before the undergrad Fellows left, we independently formed the Perdana Fellows Alumni Association. Minister of Youth and Sports Khairy Jamaluddin has been hands-on in assisting the Fellows—he really does take care of the Fellows. The Alumni is truly the second family for the Fellows as we go through similar experience. I’ve had the honour of serving as the president of Alumni—it’s not easy to manage a group of leaders of very diverse backgrounds! Even after the programme has ended some 4 months ago, we Fellows are still a tight bunch and we’re excited to welcome the 2nd batch to join our family. 

So, what are you waiting for? Join the Perdana Fellows Programme at www.feloperdana.gov.my.