OLD and stale political narratives, such as saving the country from kleptocracy, bankruptcy and Islamist threats or punishing the traitors of the Sheraton Move, will not impress the six million Undi18 and automatically registered voters (AVR), analysts said.

Young and first-time voters are not likely to show up at the polls if the political parties continue to bring up issues that have no traction with them.

“These voters are more interested in what the candidates and their political parties have to say about bread-and-butter issues,” Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall Youth Section chairman Kelvin Lee told The Malaysian Insight.

“This includes matters such as how to revive the ailing economy, improving the job prospects for new graduates, improving the social security net and improving the education system.”

Lee said older voters could be experiencing political fatigue caused by the events of the past four years.

He said politicians have to think of innovative ideas to get the two groups of Malaysians with vastly differing interests to the polls.

“They need a reason to go out and vote,” Lee said.

“If they want the young people’s support, politicians can no longer just spew empty slogans and promises.

“Otherwise, there will be the same low turnout as seen in the Malacca and Johor elections.”

Wong Yan Ke, former president of University of Malaya Association of New Youth (Umany), said young voters are generally uninterested in the general election.

“There’s just no enthusiasm,” he said.

He blamed it on loss of trust in MPs and assemblymen who party hop.

“The general feeling is that the politicians are just after power and don’t care about the people who voted for them.”

On what makes the young voters tick, Wong said students will be more concerned about laws governing education.

He said graduates would be interested in issues such as the battered economy and inflation.

“Many fresh graduates are earning just enough to live on. Inflation means they cannot save, which means there is no security. Many of them are my friends and they are getting very anxious about the situation,” Wong said.

“I graduated three years ago and my salary has not gone up much. On the other hand, the cost of living has skyrocketed.”

Wong said young people had been interested in what the multi-racial and youth-centric Muda had to offer.

“It showed some promise in the beginning. It started out with the promise of being a third political force.

“However, interest in the new party somewhat waned after it applied to be a component party of Pakatan Harapan.”

Wong said people want to know if the party co-founded by former youth minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman will make independent policies or be shackled to PH decisions.

“Its election manifesto is very vague. How exactly is it going to implement the reforms it is talking about?” he asked.

Merdeka Center Opinion research officer Ted Lee said it is hard to predict how first-time voters will vote.

“Young people by and large are feeling apathetic,” he said.

Lee said young voters will be influenced by the older members of the family.

Lee said economic issues will have little or no effect on voters who have just graduated..

“They have yet to feel the pressure of inflation, for example.” – October 20, 2022.