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“211 ahli bersetuju, tiada ahli yang tidak bersetuju. Pindaan Perlembagaan ini lulus”

Those were the words uttered by the honourable Speaker of the Malaysian House of Commons announcing the results of the bloc votes on the recent Malaysian constitutional amendment to lower the voting age to 18, automatic registration, and 18 year-olds being granted the right to run as candidates on the federal level.

On the 16th of July 2019, a 3-year journey started by two young and ‘crazy’ Malaysians Tharma Pillai and Qyira Yusri had finally become a reality. What started off as an online petition had somehow managed to find itself being debated by both sides of the political spectrum in Malaysia’s August house.

Undi18 was a movement which began and continues to be operated by young Malaysians with no agenda except to further the impactful empowerment of the youth in Malaysia. When I was 17, I made the decision to join this movement. At the time, I was idealistic and optimistic as to what Malaysia could be when 18 year-olds could finally vote. I wanted to be able to vote in the 14th general election. Although it did not bear fruition, I am indeed happy that in the future, young and driven Malaysians will finally be able to vote at 18, something I never got to do.

The movement was momentous and a big part of my life. It showed me how grass-root youth movements operated. Along the way, I picked up skills I never thought I would before, such as research, creating social media campaign material and my personal favourite, lobbying. It had no political backers, there was no funding, the movement had youths with many different political ideologies but were united in the fact that Malaysians 18-20 should have a say in the democratic process of the nation.

A week before the vote, lobbying efforts were exacerbated. Undi18 wanted to ensure that the opposition were supportive of the bill hence why Undi18 met with the Chief Whip of the BN bloc. In the meeting, Dato’ Seri Mahdzir Khalid reiterated that BN would support the bill if their demands are met. Their demands were automatic registration, 18 year olds being allowed to stand as candidates and more prominently, students being taught civic education. A day later, Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir agreed to the terms.

On the 16th of July, all MPs who debated the bill and who were also in attendance voted to amend the constitution and history was made. That is a short story of how Undi18 became a reality. Working hand-in-hand with the government, opposition and civil society.

However, lowering the voting age to 18 will not change Malaysian society for the better if policies are not introduced in tandem with it. When Malaysia next goes to the polls, more than two-thirds of the population will be eligible to vote. There will be about 7.4 million new voters. This will indeed come with political, economic and social impacts.

The scenery of politics will have to change. Malaysian politics continues to be dominated by ‘Dinosaurs’ and this is the exact reason why youth steer clear of politics. Politics is always seen to be dirty. Some even feel that the ‘die a hero or live long enough to be a villain’ applies to all young and idealistic politicians.

For this reason, political parties will need to change its approach towards attracting votes from the youth. A phenomenon around the world is that many ‘millenials’ are apathetic towards politics. To change this very problem, political parties in Malaysia need to set a goal of electing 40-50% of its leadership from young people. This means political machineries should organize more events, leverage on social media and technology, and most importantly, understand how to control the narratives and discourses we have in order to court this new electorate – the youngest currently being 14 years old. A suggestion would be that the government can begin by promising that appointed local councillors will come from young people as to have more representation.

The Undi18 policy will also change the way the government approaches its yearly belanjawan. In the past, the 18-20 age group who make up about 1.5 million votes were not given focused and needed attention by the government. These groups are those who worry about their future. Their worries are issues related to PTPTN, scholarships, entrepreneurial schemes and many other youth-related issues. The current Pakatan Harapan government has promised many things for the youth but amongst all of their promises, PTPTN comes at the top. PH will have to address this issue very actively if they want to be ensured votes at GE15.

Undi18 will also change the social fabric of Malaysian society as we know it. With civic education being introduced in schools, our future generation of young leaders will be empowered. This could lead to more meaningful conversations amongst high schoolers. They will no longer be looked at as immature or unimportant, they will finally be accorded equal treatment. This will in turn help develop critical-thinking skills of the youth. A simple exercise such as explaining the concept of separation of powers, constitutional monarchy, and the difference between an Assemblyman and a Parliamentarian would be a good start for a better nation.

Being part of Undi18 has been such a great honour. However, all the effort will be in vain if there is no real change translated to the grassroots. Our society owes a duty to empower the targeted voters. Our target for the future is not just a nation that is well educated but a nation truly united despite its cultural diversity. Tunku Abdul Rahman once said “In our multiracial society, our Malaysian democracy, nothing is more fundamental than harmony between the many races which form the Malaysian nation”.

The next few years will be an interesting time to observe. The ball is in the court of youths.