The 15th General Election (GE15) results caused a whole new drama after the numbers showed that it would still be a hung parliament this time.
Nonetheless, many Malaysians now have mixed feelings about UNDI18 as they believe that this new privilege granted to youths caused unexpected results for GE15.
The Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2019 reduces the voting age in federal and state elections from 21 to 18 years, but many Malaysians believed that this new generation of voters had not been educated enough about politics to cast ballots.
On Twitter, a 19-year-old netizen shared that most people in her age group do not care for politics. When asked who they will be voting for, some replied, “Just vote for anyone.”
Another netizen said that after the GE15 results, he realised that UNDI18 was a mistake and cited Nurul Izzah’s defeat as an example. “Religious and racial sentiments work for them and it is not a good sign,” the user said.
Meanwhile, one netizen said that youths’ lack of political literacy is the main issue here. The netizen then suggested that UNDI18 be cancelled until politics is taught properly in schools.
Sebab tu i tak gemor undi 18 ni. Mudah sangat kena hasut. umpan concert je. Benda lain taknak pikir. Dorang just nampak yg surface je. Ikut hype. Ikut influencer. Tu je la.
— ♡ (@zkyr143) November 15, 2022
It’s not UNDI18’s fault
On the other hand, some netizens think that UNDI18 should stay in the name of democracy, and instead, the Universities and University Colleges Act of 1971 (AUKU) — an act that prevents students from being involved in politics on campus — should go.
“Stop blaming #UNDI18. If you want a healthy democratic country then start teaching them young. They will learn something in these 5 years, as long as we keep educating them,” a netizen said.
“Why are people blaming UNDI18 for this? Have the previous elections been going as expected? Instead of blaming the younger generation there should be a plan to educate us,” another netizen said.
What do you think about this? Share your thoughts!
