9 September 2019

Youths - The drivers of the global political environment in the future

The global political environment of the future will be dominated by youths. If political parties desire to capture the hearts of youths, the most direct method is to bring more youth political leaders to the forefront. Let young people become the engine that drives the country's development!

Two major factors contributed to the defeat of BN in the 14th general election despite having been in power for 60 years.

Not only had social media played a significant role, the rapid transmission of information is another reason which caught the attention of millennial voters with politics.

As many as 40.92% of voters in Malaysia's 14th general election were millennials, and it is predicted that in the next general election, the lowering of the voting age to 18 years will increase the number of youth voters by 7.8 million. They will have an impact on the entire political environment.

Since young voters could overthrow a coalition that had been in power for 60 years, the influence of young voters is absolutely inevitable.

It is undeniable that Malaysia has achieved different levels of development in various fields since our independence. I believe that if more young leaders can participate in leading the nation, Malaysia will attain greater achievements at a faster pace.

The world of millennials is unique. Today's national leaders should not view the world of millennials from the former's perspective. For example, millennials can participate in politics. They can exchange opinions with people from different regions without leaving home. INSTAGRAM or Facebook can influence the ideas of millennials.

Matters that were unimaginable in the past have become a reality today; therefore, we must have the courage to face up to the challenges of the future, to create the future, and to hold the future in our own hands.

Nicole Wong Siaw Ting

MCA National Youth Chairperson

Note: Nicole Wong represented MCA Youth at Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, where she was invited to deliver a speech at the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (Youth Organisations). She pointed out that although MCA Youth is currently an opposition party in Malaysia, MCA Youth is regularly invited by international organisations to participate in seminars and meetings. This proves that MCA Youth is recognised in the global arena.

-MCA Online-