OPPOSITION parties need to set aside their differences and start working in unison in order to capture the youth voters in the upcoming general election, political analysts said.

A recent poll on youth voters showed that while 41% of young respondents were still undecided, Barisan Nasional however was the main choice of 15.5% of youths surveyed.

While analysts said that BN would have more goodwill in the eyes of young voters, nothing is absolute.

Political analyst Thock Kian Wah said BN’s advantage is only a small one.

“Given that presently there are many camps within the political parties, the findings of the poll cannot show for certain whose side the youth vote is on,” Thock told The Malaysian Insight.

“There are still 41% who are undecided, meaning there is still plenty of room for parties to fight for their ballot.

“Everyone wants a share of the pie, but BN has the advantage now, but that’s not to say it won’t change.”

The poll, he said, was only a reflection of the current popular vote.

“Pakatan Harapan did poorly in its 22 months in power, so many promises have not been fulfilled. So public opinion and votes have returned to BN.

“Against this background, it is natural for youths to slant to BN.”

If the opposition wants to lure youth votes, they must first come together and work together, Thock said.

“It depends on how fragmented they are. If there are three-cornered fights, it will only benefit BN.”

The poll was conducted between February 22 and March 7 by Architects of Diversity (AOD) in collaboration with Undi18 and Undi Negaraku. The respondents were aged between 18 to 30-years-old.

The poll showed that BN has a slight lead with 15.5%. Former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s Perikatan Nasional had the second highest support at 13.8%.

Youth-based Muda, led by Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, came in third with 11.9% while PH came in fourth with 10.5%.

Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) received 4.3% support from the respondents while only 2% supported Warisan.

Only 0.7% voted for former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Pejuang and 0.4% supported Sarawak National Party (Snap).

The poll was part of the #Undi100Peratus movement which is aiming for 100% youth turnout at the next GE.

The survey found that 80% said they would go out to cast their votes while 13% were taking the wait-and-see approach.

Voters affected by local issues

Merdeka Center researcher Ted Lee said once the opposition unites, it would have a bigger share of the youth votes compared to BN.

“Those from rural Malay areas are most likely to vote the way their families have voted historically. But given the current economic situation, this may change as voters seek to punish lawmakers.

“Everyone expected the economy to improve when we are in transition to the endemic phase, but that is not the case.

“So the voters may choose to punish the ruling coalition,” he said.

University Tunku Abdul Rahman political analyst and lecturer Liew Wai Chern said most young people have not decided who to vote for.

“Political parties have no way of predicting voters’ choice, therefore it is hard to predict the outcome of the general election.”

Liew observed during the Johor state election that youth votes for BN were influenced by three factors, mainly the influence of family members.

“Voters were affected by local issues. If you keep talking about corruption and reform, it is pointless because the people want stability.

Liew said in the last three state elections, youth votes have generally been split between BN and PN and things are not looking up for PH.

He also said that the recent win by Rafizi Ramli to become PKR’s deputy president would mean the end to PH’s ‘big tent’ approach.

Rafizi is not in favour of the ‘big tent’ approach to unite all opposition parties for GE15, but instead proposed PKR to work from the ground up again to win the people’s votes rather than negotiating with other opposition parties.

Thock said parties must play up issues that are of concern to youth to win their votes.

“The youths are concerned about education and employment, among others. Political parties must address this to win their votes, it’s not easy to deceive them.”

Racial politics is a thing of the past, he added.

“Racial politics won’t solve Malaysia’s problems. Parties must be more pragmatic and listen to young people’s demands.” – June 5, 2022.