KUALA LUMPUR – Voter turnout has always been a concern as the 15th general election (GE15) voting day takes place tomorrow.
What makes this election stand out from the rest is the large number of first-time voters after the legal voting age was lowered to 18 years.
This is the concern of Malaysian football activist Khalilul Rahman Mokhtaruddin, who is pushing for more figures in the sports fraternity to encourage young voters to exercise their voting rights.
Khalilul, who founded Padangbolasepak.com – a community of football lovers developing and cultivating recreational football programmes – emphasised the importance of participating in the nation’s democracy, especially in the grassroots movements.
Here is a thread of our grassroots sports community partners encouraging people to go out and vote in the coming General Election ?️??#MalaysiaMemilih #GE15 #UndiDanSukan
— PBS wants you to vote ?️?? (@padangbolasepak) November 13, 2022
“One thing that I have learned from the lockdowns is that the sports communities in Malaysia are quite fragmented from top to bottom.
“That is why I think encouraging people to vote is unifying. That is why we have asked our friends from across the community, not just football, but running and even baseball, to encourage those in their groups to vote,” Khalilul told The Vibes.
Being involved in youth football programmes, he said, many first-time voters have asked him who they should be voting for, and Khalilul said the weight on the youths’ shoulders is immense.
“These voters are 18 years old. Their next few years is what matters. So I urge them to vote with their consciousness, hearts, and with an eye for the future.”
Khalilul added that the closeness of the sport communities across Malaysia was evident during the movement control orders, as they pushed together on social media with the hashtag #rindubolasepak to have sports reopened.
“Sports was the first to close and last to reopen during the lockdown. Even though we already knew the science behind air circulation, ventilation, and being outdoors, the sports sector was still the last to return to normal.
“It was good to see the communities come together and push for the right reasons, and in the backdrop of the lockdown, the sports community realised that we are all in this together.
“We need to remind people that sports is also a democracy. Just like how presidents of football associations are voted for, it is the same with national politics. That should help put things in perspective,” said Khalilul.
Recently, the Selangor Football Association postponed their Selangor Champions League matches on November 19 and 20 to give those competing time to exercise their voting rights.
Khalilul said all in the sports arena should encourage others to vote.
“The simple question of ‘where are you voting?’ can start the conversation. Everyone will want to be involved in the talk and they will get more excited to vote from there.
“So go out there and vote for Malaysia and the future, and with integrity.”
Padangbolasepak also formed the Malaysian Association of Recreational Sports, which was sanctioned by the Registrar of Societies in January 2020 to advance their goal to bring communities together and grow the nation through recreational sports. – The Vibes, November 18, 2022.
