In Malaysia election, newly enfranchised teens could be the kingmakers

Young people are poised to enter the usual rough-and-tumble of Malaysian politics this weekend as the country holds its first general election since lowering the voting age from 21 to 18. 

Seen as potential kingmakers, young voters are navigating a chaotic political landscape – years of corruption and party politicking have left many Malaysians frustrated with parliament. The successive collapse of two governments since 2020 led to widespread calls for an early return to the polls (the national election was not actually due until mid-2023), and there are now dozens of parties vying for power. Meanwhile, many families have yet to recover from the financial impact of COVID-19 mismanagement, and racial and religious issues remain contentious.

As 222 seats go up for grabs in the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house and core of Malaysia’s political power, there is a strong sense that what Malaysia needs is stability.

That’s a hefty responsibility to thrust onto young people voting for the first time. In addition to the threat of monsoons, the pressures of day-to-day life, voting logistics, and even a disinterest in politics will likely keep some would-be voters away from the polls tomorrow. 

Still, many young Malaysians say they feel a duty to weigh in on their country’s biggest challenges, from cost of living to climate change. Available data also speaks to strong political engagement: Around 1.4 million of Malaysia’s 21 million registered voters are between ages 18 and 20, and half are under 40.

“Young people have that power,” says Bridget Welsh, honorary research associate at the University of Nottingham, Malaysia and an expert in Southeast Asian democracy, “but it remains unclear if it will be fully actualized and they will turnout, or whether they will send a clear mandate.”

“They will make the difference in the close races, however,” which, she says, account for over half the seats. 

Mobilization challenges

Twenty-one-year-old Sarah Edna, a statistics student from Selangor, on Malaysia’s west coast, is an election intern with the youth group Undi18, which was a central lobbyist for the voting-age reforms. Malaysia was the second to last in the region to drop the voting age from 21 (Singapore remains the holdout), and the country also introduced automatic voter registration at the same time. 

Courtesy of Sarah Edna

First-time voter Sarah Edna is a statistics student and an election intern with the youth advocacy organization Undi18, which lobbied for the voting-age reforms. She says climate change is the most important issue to her.

Ms. Edna says she is feeling the weight of her civic responsibility as she prepares to cast her first ballot, and she hopes others do as well. 

“Young people have to understand the importance of voting and how it impacts our country,” she says, adding that intergenerational issues such as climate change make it critical for young Malaysians to exercise their right this weekend.

That will be hard for some. The shortened election cycle has caught Malaysians of all ages off guard, and many 18-to-20-year-olds, either for work or school, live far away from their home regions where they’re registered to vote.

Ms. Edna knows several people who won’t be able to cast their ballot Saturday for this very reason. But she hopes that most newly registered voters will overcome these challenges and make their voices heard.

Driving issues

In the tourist hub of George Town, evidence of an impending election has been scant. Only a few red campaign flags of Pakatan Harapan, the centrist political coalition, hang limply along the coastal boulevard.

The area has gross domestic product and growth rates among the highest in Malaysia, and looks secure for the incumbent Pakatan Harapan, led by national opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. Races will be tightly contested, however, with a record 58 candidates, including six independents, vying for the 13 national seats in play here on Saturday.

George Town native and media production student Jenson Lim says Malaysia is facing many complex issues on a local, national, and global level. As a first-time voter, he is particularly motivated by the tangled lines between racial tensions – mainly the oft-stoked differences between Malays and ethnic Chinese – and poverty.

“I feel an obligation to vote,” he says. “It’s everyone’s responsibility to do so. It’s a default position.”

Mr. Lim, himself of Chinese background, worries that young people who lack political experience will be swayed by major parties’ simplistic messaging on nuanced issues. He knows the impact of young voters will be “significant,” but he’s uncertain how exactly it will play out. 

Courtesy of Jenson Lim

Media production student Jenson Lim says he is most concerned about racial tensions – mainly the oft-stoked differences between Malays and ethnic Chinese – and poverty. “I feel an obligation to vote,” he says.

“Some [young people] are very political, take part in political talks, and have those habits. They have been dreaming of voting all their lives. Others are totally politically illiterate,” he says.

Indeed, Malaysian youth demonstrate a wide range of political leanings and literacy, though experts say one area we may see their hand at play is on climate.

On the mind, but not the ballot

“Climate change issues do impact younger voters, and this has been an issue raised by MUDA [the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance, a youth-oriented party], but has not featured prominently in the overall campaign,” says Ms. Welsh.

While climate change has largely been absent from leading candidates’ campaign speeches, it’s high on the mind of young voters – in an Undi18 survey from this year, 75% of respondents said they were concerned about climate change, and the same number believed the government should increase punishments for illegal logging.

For Mr. Lim, climate change relates to local concerns about poverty and employment disparities. Ms. Edna says it’s the most important issue for her, and believes the youth vote will force major parties to rethink their climate policies, if not in this election, then in the future. 

“Young people [have been] sharing different manifestos on climate change from different political parties,” she says. “We have to be wise about who we are voting for. Climate change needs will force a party to change.”