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With politics being a topic discouraged within the walls of schools, many would argue that 18-year-olds could not possibly have the capacity to understand the complexity of Malaysian politics. One of the reasons for lowering the voting age is so that the youth’s interests can be represented and for there to be an increase in voter turnout; this is surely one way to ensure democracy in Malaysia is being upheld as citizens exercise their right to vote. But what about the step that precedes voting — forming one’s own political opinions? How is the youth supposed to understand the goals and ambitions of the political campaigns running for the 15th General Election? 

Awareness is key when it comes to election season. Given that the youth were only recently granted their right to vote, we can’t help but wonder if they fully understand the justifications behind their votes. Do they understand that their votes are capable of redirecting the future of Malaysia? 

In a time when citizens under the age of 40 make up the majority of the voting pool, it seems impossible for the youths to come in full-swing, potentially guiding the train of Malaysian trajectory onto a different path, but it is. Since Parliament lowered the voting age, this opened up the political world to an increase of 5.6 million new eligible voters. The youth back home have their Student Unions to spread the word and encourage them to exercise their right to vote. 

What about the students overseas? Are they chipping in the effort or are they turning a blind eye to what’s happening at home? Fortunately, those of us who are a fifteen-hour flight away in the United Kingdom and Ireland are taking our very first election seriously. This is evident through the efforts of the VoteMalaysia UKE coalition. Composed of student volunteers, the youth are trying their hand at a fairer Malaysia.

The VoteMalaysia UKE is a coalition of seven student organisations in the UK and Ireland, United Kingdom & Eire Council for Malaysian Students (UKEC), Badan Perhubungan Negara UK (BPN UK), Demokratik, United Kingdom & Ireland Malaysian Law Students’ Union (KPUM), Democratic Action Party UK (DAP-UK), Malaysian Student Global Alliance (MSGA), IKRAM UKE, and one non-governmental organisation (NGO), namely UNDI18. 

The coalition aims to spread awareness of the procedures of postal voting and encourage students to act as soon as they receive their ballots. Postal voting workshops have taken place in the major cities of Liverpool, Cardiff, Sheffield, and Manchester, where there is a large Malaysian student population. 

Furthermore, the coalition has been organising a fundraiser to cover the £30 cost postal voters would have to bear to send the votes back home on their own. The funds would also be utilised to cover the travelling costs that will be incurred when representatives of the coalition send the votes back home. 

VoteMalaysia UKE and Malaysian societies in all thirteen regions of the UK have been collaborating to set up vote collection centres for their respective regions, before sending it all to London for the representatives’ flight back to Malaysia, a journey that will significantly contribute to this year’s election.

Students from all over the UK are devoting time and effort to VoteMalaysia UKE to bring our votes home. Home, where all of us were born and raised, where we came to familiarise ourselves with the tongues spoken in parliaments, where the future affects all of us no matter how far we may be. There is no greater sense of accomplishment and service to our country than students taking the initiative, following their sense of justice, to come together in hopes of a better Malaysia. 

Maybe lowering the voting age wasn’t a mistake after all.

REFERENCE

• Want youth’s vote? Here are 15 things for your GE15 manifesto, varsity students tell political parties | Malay Mail