POLITICAL parties risk failing to develop the next generation of leaders if young people are repeatedly expected to support election campaigns but denied opportunities to contest, PKR Melaka acting chairman Adam Adli Abd Halim said.
He said younger candidates needed room to prove their capabilities and gain electoral experience, particularly as changes to the voting age and automatic voter registration had reshaped the electorate.
“We cannot keep expecting young people to put up flags and banners, gather crowds for ceramah, distribute leaflets and deal with arguments on social media, but deny them opportunities when they want to become candidates,” he said.
Adam was responding to criticism of younger candidates contesting the 16th Melaka state election at a press conference at the Pakatan Harapan main operations room in Hang Tuah Jaya, Melaka today.
He said candidates should not be assessed based on their seniority within a party or their connections to particular leaders, but on the need to ensure different segments of society were represented.
He acknowledged that younger candidates, many of whom were contesting for the first time, faced stereotypes and pressure, including perceptions that they lacked the experience and communication skills of more seasoned politicians.
However, he cautioned that selecting young candidates did not guarantee automatic support from younger voters, whose political preferences were also influenced by family, their surroundings and individual considerations.
“If we do not start now, we will not be able to build a more complete pool of experience among this group over the next five to 10 years,” he said. - November 3, 2026
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