THE older generation’s perception of the Malaysia’s youths being apathetic is wrong. They say the young are not ready or “mature enough” to vote.

They say the youths of today feel “entitled” and that they choosy about the type of jobs they want to do.

Now if the elders were to go out and became familiar with what our youths know, think and feel, they will realise that that label of the young being entitled is absolute rubbish.

And why shouldn’t youths be selective about jobs? Why should they settle for low-paying jobs when our country is supposed to be an upper-middle class income economy as per the Vision 2020 target laid out during the tabling of the 6^th Malaysia Plan in 1991? The youths of today deserve better than this.

People from the generations before the present are not necessarily wiser just because they are older. The country is where it is because these people couldn’t care less about ensuring that politicians and the country’s leaders were held accountable in the past.

After the 2008 general election – when the Barisan Nasional regime was denied a two-thirds parliamentary majority – civil society organisations started mushrooming as the country underwent a period of democratisation.

The youth launched hundreds, if not thousands, of campaigns to shed light on various issues such as LGBT, financial literacy and Orang Asli empowerment.

The 2013 and 2018 elections saw a huge turnout of youths serving as volunteers and mobilising people to vote. If fact young people came out in droves and had a significant impact on shaping the outcome of those elections.

The disintegration of the Pakatan Harapan government 2020 left a sour taste in these young voters’ mouths. They had voted with the belief that they were contributing towards change in the country.

None of the coalitions inspires the youths of today but we need to get the young to cast their vote and understand that their vote is significant and valuable.

They carry the hopes of the nation with their ballots on November 19. – November 2, 2022.

* FLK reads The Malaysian Insight.

* 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.