PETALING JAYA: Nearly half of the 245 seats up for grabs in the six state elections are significantly influenced by voters under the age of 30. In these areas, these young voters make up at least a third of the electorate. According to election analyst Dr G. Manimaran, there are approximately 106 state seats in Selangor, Penang, Negri Sembilan, Terengganu, Kelantan and Kedah where 30% to 40% of the voters are below the age of 30. Dr Manimaran highlighted that with the youth voters comprising at least one-third of the electorate in nearly half of the state seats, they hold the power to determine the winners in the state polls. The six states have a combined total of almost three million voters below the age of 30, with Selangor having the highest number (1.125 million) followed by Kedah (550,468), Kelantan (427,071), Penang (298,471), Terengganu (282,678), and Negri Sembilan (236,963).
The state seat with the highest percentage of voters below the age of 30 is Batang Kali in Selangor, where they make up 39.2% of the electorate. Dr Manimaran emphasized that these figures indicate the pivotal role that youth voters could play in many seats, making it crucial for political coalitions to resonate with them. He suggested that political coalitions should tailor their manifestos to address the concerns and aspirations of the youth from different demographics in terms of race and geography, considering whether they live in rural or urban areas. Dr Manimaran observed that, during the first week of the campaign, many voters had already made up their minds, even as political coalitions rushed to reach out to them through physical campaigns.
In the second week of the campaign, political coalitions have become more aggressive, with the intensity of their schedules increasing. While social media is the primary campaigning platform, Dr Manimaran believes that face-to-face campaigns still play an important role. Political pundit Dr Tunku Mohar Tunku Mohd Mokhtar of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) pointed out that the sentiments of young voters are influenced by various factors, including their locality, socio-economic levels, and academic qualifications. He stated that young Malay voters in non-urban areas are more likely to vote for Perikatan Nasional, citing their limited interaction with people from other ethnic groups and a vulnerability to propaganda that preys on their insecurities and inferiority complex. Dr Tunku Mohar described youth votes as a “vote bank” that political parties must engage with in order to succeed in the state polls. However, he also noted that young voters are not a cohesive political unit, as their interests and needs are as diverse as voters of other age groups.
As polling day approaches, political analyst Suffian Mansor from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia expects campaigns to ramp up their efforts in order to sway the fence-sitters. While acknowledging that physical campaigns can be tedious, Mansor believes that they can still have an impact on undecided voters.
Watch out for Part Two of this series tomorrow.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
