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New PKR candidate Nurul Izzan with father Anwar Ibrahim |
Malaysia's 2008 general elections has seen the infusion of young blood in what many perceive as a response by political parties to the public's desire and need for a change in political personalities.
The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) has in its line-up Khairy Jamaluddin, Victor Gu and Carol Chew while the opposition camp has Tony Pua, Teo Nie Ching, Nurul Izzah Anwar and Badrul Hisham Shaharin.
The post-Merdeka generation are expected to be the trump cards for the political parties they are representing as they are perceived as being innovative, articulate and with strings of degrees behind them.
It also helps that a number of them come from political backgrounds.
According to Merdeka Centre, an opinion research firm, the young politicias aren't just a group to watch during polls on March 8, they're also a force to be reckoned with in the future.
Ibrahim Suffian, Director of Merdeka Centre told Bernama that fielding young candidates is a well-calculated strategy by political leaders to attract the new generation of voters who are more demanding and critical in their outlook. "Most of them were born after 1957. They represent the new generation of Malaysians, which means the younger generation of voters could relate to them better," he said.
The candidates most of whom are under the age of 40, could also appeal to those in the older age group as their youthful ideals would provide a refreshing change in politics previously dominated by the older generation.
Some veteran candidates are perceived to have overstayed said Ibrahim. "The people want new and refreshing ideas and this new breed of politicians represent the ideals that they are seeking.They want to see what these young candidates can offer to improve their lives," he said.
He reckons that the capacity and capability of the young ones should not be taken lightly by the veterans although they may be considered political novices. He points to the 2006 Sarawak state election,where 29-year-old underdog Violet Yong of DAP severe defeated Sarawak United Peoples Party (SUPP) stalwart and secretary-general Sim Kheng Hui in the urban Pending seat with a majority 4,372 votes.
With a different perspective is Social Strategic Foundation executive director Dr Denison Jayasooria. He believes the fielding of younger faces signify preparations by the political parties to allow the younger leaders to take over in future.
He noted that this scenario was particularly true in the BN fold where veteran politicians have willingly retired to make way for new blood. "This is the transition period. These young and talented leaders are groomed to take over the future leadership and continue to drive the country into achieving a developed nation status in the 2020," he said.
Dr Jayasooria went on to say that voters are also putting high hopes on these candidates to improve the political landscape of the country in the next five to 10 years, if they were elected.
"Even the older generation of voters recognise that changes are necessary and hopefully the country will see positive changes with ideas that would be brought in by them as the new breed of policy-makers."
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