RECENTLY, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan confirmed that those between 18 and 20 years old will be allowed to vote. This assurance came following reports that the Election Commission (EC) had wanted to postpone the process to next year.
As someone who’s recently turned 20, I’d say that my peers and I are elated over the news! Why? Because our cohort is a misunderstood group. Now that we can make our voices heard via the ballot box, I believe the government and aspiring policymakers can start to take us more seriously.
For example, when news emerged that the Undi18 move would be postponed to next year, critics accused the government of being fearful of the youth. Painting us with a broad brush does not do justice to who we are. We are Malaysia’s first generation that has grown up with the internet widely accessible, plugged in to a global village.
We have world views unlike our forefathers. The “seniors” may find some of us to be socially awkward and some even label us the “marshmallow generation”, purportedly because we are less “resilient”, but these “seniors” are just looking at things with lens of outdated biases.
We are unique in our own way and going through a transformation unlike any our seniors have seen. There is now a host of issues that lawmakers will have to consider for what I would call the “Undi18 generation” – issues that were not as pervasive even five to 10 years ago.
For example, as someone who’s on the verge of graduating from a local university, I am worried about housing affordability. Lawmakers will now have to seek out solutions to such woes that were never so pressing before.
Another issue that hit home for the Undi18 generation is internet connectivity. For MPs and assemblymen, many of whom have lived through the analogue era, they would have to familiarise themselves and confront issues being brought up on virtual platforms, head on.
The voice of the youth in Malaysia is only going to get louder with Undi18 now almost as good as a done deal. Far from fearing that the youth would dilute the voice of older voters, Undi18, which received bipartisanship support in the past, should be seen as a transformative move to push Malaysia into the next phase of our growth.
For that and from the bottom of my heart, thank you to the government and all MPs who made Undi18 a reality. It is for the betterment of the country, really. – The Vibes, May 5, 2021
C.K. Lim is a Universiti Putra Malaysia student
