KUALA LUMPUR – Following the election results on Saturday young voters were left even more confused and concerned that their futures will end up becoming even more uncertain.
The Vibes spoke to individuals who cast their votes for the first time last weekend, and were not shy to communicate their thoughts following it.
One such voter, Yunice Leong, expressed her concern on the current absence of a government.
“I am nervous about what will happen, because there’s no simple majority,” the 19-year-old told The Vibes.
“Since now all parties are negotiating with each other, I’m afraid the possibility of a backdoor government might happen again,” she added.
Yunice, who voted in Wangsa Maju, shared that voting for the first time was nerve-wracking, but was still happy to be able to be a responsible citizen.
IT student Faridzuan Rahman, 24, was also concerned following the election results, as it reflected the nation’s lack of unity.
He stated that religious sentiments have been instilled in the youth, steering them away from solution-based parties.
“Even among the young generation, a clear conservative mindset has been planted within their upbringing.
“Perikatan Nasional (PN) won by bringing conservative sentiments. Considering the largest bloc of voters are the youth, they of course voted for the coalition,” he said.
He added that the face value of incumbent MPs who helped bring up the nation no longer has a standing with citizens, seeing as big names – including Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Nurul Izzah Anwar, and Khairy Jamaluddin – all lost in this election.
Another first-time voter who goes by the name Shafiq claims a hung government was expected, given that this year’s polls had three significant political parties.
“I predicted that there would be a hung government from the beginning since there are three major parties,” he said.
He added that PN’s online presence and social media campaigning garnered high reception from netizens, resulting in its rising popularity.
Nonetheless, he opined that the main reasons people cast their votes for the coalition were due to their dissatisfaction towards Umno and their irrational fear of DAP.
On the contrary, a student wishing to be known as Dian, 19, said that the results were unexpected but very worrisome.
“Whatever happened that night (of the election) was unexpected, you would presume that there would be a simple majority,” the ACCA student said.
“I am more worried that we might face economic difficulties with this uncertainty, since we may be going through a recession sometime next year.
“I do not want it to end up worse,” she added.
Dian said it was high time for Pakatan Harapan chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to be given a chance as the prime minister, considering other candidates have led the country before.
However, she believed that the other possible prime ministers can still execute their responsibilities, should they be elected.
Meanwhile, an undergraduate student, who wishes to remain anonymous, suggested Anwar and his coalition be given an opportunity to prove themselves as national leaders.
“I am worried that the future of this country is in jeopardy, the economic instability could worsen if a government is not formed,” he opined.
“I do believe PH has the potential to make a change and should be given a chance as the primary coalition, in which they will have another four years to prove themselves.
“If they are unable to do that, then Malaysians can vote them out like they did with a lot of Barisan Nasional MPs during this election.
“But also, I am upset that I no longer get a day off today, since no government is here to announce it,” he quipped. – The Vibes, November 22, 2022
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