OLDER people tend to be preferred over younger people in established democracies because they are more likely to vote and have clout to make a difference at the ballot box. This explains why governments, for example, are less likely to cut pension funds than tuition fees in universities.

In Malaysia, it is unsurprising that political discourse is often tainted by the issue of race and religion as it is expected to appeal to constituents of the older generation who are used to such narrative compared to the youth, who generally do not subscribe to it.

Similarly, the issue of a stagnant economy or rising unemployment among graduates affecting youth has been taken up by politicians, but nothing substantial came out of it. The economy is still rampant with cronyism and rent-seeking culture that do not help to improve the future prospects of young people, who consequently feel neglected.

Even the much-vaunted constitutional amendment of lowering the voting age to 18 was partly motivated by political expediency. Although the amendment received full bipartisan support, it was only made possible because politicians from both sides of the divide see value in expanding their electoral bases and are confident in securing younger voters.

The lowering of voting age could have an impact on both the ruling and opposition parties in the way they respond to the needs of the electorates, which have increased in size by about 1.3 million. It was under such circumstances that Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman’s new youth-based party came into being.

With the electoral battleground getting more youthful, Syed Saddiq’s party may well prove to be a game-changer. While the party is said to consist of “younger technocrats, professionals and policy makers from different backgrounds”, a closer look beyond the rhetoric would, however, cause one to be sceptical.

Firstly, there has been no ideological commitment or framework mooted by the former minister thus far. It is easy to talk about setting up a youth-based party – much like how politicians boasted about solving the economic woes of the youths – but what is important is a common philosophy or ideology that can hold a political party together.

Syed Saddiq’s 22-month tenure as a minister of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government did not give Malaysians much inkling of what he truly believed in. Granted that he was committed to expanding youth participation in politics and was instrumental in lowering the voting age, but beyond that the former minister had achieved little to promote the interests of young people or restore their faith in politics.

He was part of the cabinet that contemplated on blacklisting PTPTN loan defaulters while the PH electoral manifesto was expressly opposed to it. The same cabinet had also reversed its decision and instead proposed to cut the Critical Service Incentive Payment that has been compensating various underpaid young professionals.

Although the youthful minister was strongly against both decisions, he, nonetheless, laid the blame on the cabinet, which was inimical to the concept of collective responsibility.

Syed Saddiq spoke of his “divine task” as a minister who represented young people in the cabinet. But then, he must have been absent from the cabinet meeting when Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad signed the document to cut the critical allowance of young doctors and nurses.

In a recent interview, he spoke of the youth party, which has just been set up, so that “politics will never be chained by the same people, being controlled and monopolised by the same old people.” Yet he was seen as the biggest defender of a certain nonagenarian politician who happened to be the longest serving prime minister of this country.

It is no secret that Syed Saddiq harboured deep admiration for Dr Mahathir. He insisted that Dr Mahathir could be prime minister for as long as he wanted to, which contradicted his lamentation about politics of old people.

The disgust towards party hopping and mandate betrayal is well registered among the youths, which explains why I think young people have a right to know why Syed Saddiq was present on that fateful night at Sheraton Hotel. Perhaps he was merely voicing his objection to the backdoor government just like his counterpart Maria Chin Abdullah did?

These are some of the questions that Syed Saddiq needs to answer if he has ambitions of leading a youth party because his past record for defending and representing young people remains ambiguous at best.

Youth apathy in Malaysian politics can be attributed to obstacles placed in the path to the upper echelon of a political party. Most of the older politicians are not inclined to retire. Flipping through a list of political parties would reveal that the main political actors of 20 years ago still largely dominate the current political scene.

If that is the case, where is the political space for the young to grow? Perhaps, as argued by an analyst, Malaysia does not need a dedicated youth-centric party, but an existing party to take them seriously.

World events in recent times show that the younger generations have always played an important role in the democratisation process and contributed towards nation-building. From the political persistence of Greta Thunberg, student-led Gwangju Uprising in South Korea right to the ongoing Thai protest, young people have emerged at the forefront of political movements. It would do Malaysia good if its young people, who are full of energy and idealism, are allowed to challenge the status quo and take over from the elder “statesmen”.

I remain hopeful as regards the younger generations in Malaysia because the situation has changed drastically over the years where youths were once discouraged and even forbidden to take part in politics. The #Undi18 movement and the Digital Parliament are testimonies to this positive transition.  

Having said that, I remain distrustful of a Syed Saddiq-led youth party. As they say, old habits die hard, and none more so than the politicians in this country. – August 31, 2020.

* Kenneth Cheng has always been interested in the interplay between human rights and government but more importantly he is a father of two cats, Tangyuan and Toufu. When he is not attending to his feline matters, he is most likely reading books about politics and human rights or playing video games. He is a firm believer in the dictum “power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will”.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.