PKR is preparing for the general election by signing on several young activists into the party, political analysts said.

The move is aimed at giving PKR an upper hand in winning over young voters.

On Malaysia Day, former student leader Adam Adli Abdul Halim, lawyer Asheeq Ali Sethi Alivi, activist Sarah Hadi and several other youths joined PKR as members.

There were 20 of them in total, according to news reports.Ilham Centre executive director Hisomudin Bakar said the move would benefit PKR but the party still has a lot to work to secure the youth vote.

“It is an advantage, but we cannot say that PKR will (automatically) receive backing from the youth. But it is a good move for starters and, in order to stay relevant, they need youth activists.

“The youth vote will definitely be a force in the coming election. Plus, we are going to see Undi18 coming into effect soon,” said Hisomudin.

Undi18 refers to the lowering of the legal voting age from 21 to 18, which is to be implemented before the middle of next year, the deadline stated in an agreement Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob signed with Pakatan Harapan (PH) recently.

There are an estimated 1.2 million Malaysians currently aged 18 to 20 who will be added to the electoral roll when Undi18 is implemented. The 15th general election must be held by mid-2023 at the latest.

Iman Centre programme director Badrul Hisham Ismail said PKR’s move to admit younger activists showed that it was aware of its internal shortcomings, one of which is low youth participation in the party.

With their memberships, it will be easier for PKR to penetrate the youth segment as activists such as Adam and Asheeq Ali are already known by many for their work.

“PKR knows that they have problems in terms of youth involvement. By accepting familiar faces, it is a move towards securing the youth segment in the election.

“They do not need much introduction; people know who they are. It is much easier when they are already known by the public,” Badrul said.

Adam told reporters at the welcoming event by PKR that he joined the party because it is multiracial. He also said he was inspired by the changes he has seen in the country since the Reformasi movement in 1998.

Asheeq, meanwhile, said it was hard for him to jump into politics but decided to do so as he believes it to be the best avenue to highlight issues affecting youths, such as suicide and unemployment.

‘Best offer’

Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) academic Prof Ahmad Marthada Mohamed said other parties would follow PKR’s footsteps in securing youth participation.

“Others will want to look relevant too and they will try to emulate PKR. If not by getting youth activists to join them, maybe they will start giving bigger endorsements to the youths in their party.

“Other parties will need to compete in order to win votes from the youth. (Whoever) has the best offer for the younger generation will win their votes,” he said.

Youth-based political group Muda is also on the scene to give a voice to the younger generation in politics.

But Mathada said Muda would face problems competing in the general election as long as their registration is not approved by the Registrar of Societies (RoS).

Iman Centre’s Badrul said if Muda fails to secure its registration, it might need to consider joining PH. The party, founded by the former youth and sports minister, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who became the country’s youngest minister, is currently challenging the Home Ministry’s rejection of its registration.

Youth-led movement Sekretariat Solidariti Rakyat (SSR) spokesperson Asyraf Shafari congratulated PKR and its new members and reminded Adam and the other youths to be aware of the challenges in joining a political party.

He said while it is good to have honest individuals in political parties, he hoped the activists would stay true to their principles.

“I hope their vision, idealism and integrity won’t be tainted. It is good to have such individuals in a party but the challenges are different.”

“Entering a party is totally a different game, especially for activists. I want them to succeed and I hope they will stick to their principles,” Asyraf said. – September 22, 2021.