YOURSAY | Youth party - a paradigm shift or more of the same?

YOURSAY | ‘It is time to put to sleep the old dinosaurs and let the new generation to take charge...’

Syed Saddiq's plan to 'disrupt' Malaysian politics

Hmmm: It’s great to see the emergence of a youth party in the Malaysian political landscape.

Since Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman mentioned France's Emmanuel Macron as one of his inspirations, I would suggest that the movement be also diverse in terms of B40/M40/T20 (bottom 40 percent/middle 40 percent/top 20 percent).

If possible, it should be as representative of the population as possible in this respect. Otherwise, there may be a 'gilets jaunes' (yellow vests) counter-reaction as we have seen in France.

I also hope that the movement will be diverse in terms of Malaya/Sabah/Sarawak. So far, it looks like the names mentioned are mostly from the peninsula.

Finally, to avoid the impression of a personality cult, Syed Saddiq should say 'we' instead of 'I'. For example, "In the future, I will field 30, and they will field more" is ‘tak sedap didengar’ because it sounds like he equates himself to the whole movement.

Other than that, it’s a great idea and I wish this new movement all the best.

Fredtan: Here are the statistics which I managed to obtain from a BBC report in 2018 before GE14. I can't find other statistics. These 2017 figures will be, of course, different now.

The total of 18.7 million registered voters are made up of:

1. Age 21-39 - 41%

2. Age 40-59 - 39%

3. Age 60-79 - 18%

54. Over 80 - 2%

And according to the Election Commission (then), as many as 3.8 million eligible voters did not register to vote. And of these, 67% are young people. The question is, "Are Malaysian youth apathetic when it comes to politics?"

So if Syed Saddiq’s party wants to be a force, his first priority should be to get the 67% of 3.8 million eligible voters to register. If he is able to achieve that, he has done Malaysia a great service, whether he wins or loses in the election.

RR: Syed Saddiq, our country has long been divided according to race, and polarisation is at its height over the last 30 years.

Children are divided at schools and youth at universities. Young adults are entering politics to first enrich themselves, then their families and cronies. It is therefore an uphill task to make changes now, but it’s better late than never.

There are very few politicians who are sincerely dedicated to serve the society across the board. Many, including me, have congratulated you at the outset when you first announced a Malaysian party for youth.

It is good that its leadership will have limited terms. But leaders who vacate positions should remain in the party to provide guidance, not control, to ensure the sustainability of the party.

YellowOtter4725: Well said, Syed Saddiq. Yes, we need to move away from race, religion and money politics. The deterioration of our environment and other global challenges requires new strategies and leadership.

It is time to put to sleep the old dinosaurs and let the new generation to take charge and bring the necessary changes to our nation.

IndigoTrout2522: Malaysians, in general, will support a youth party envisioned by Syed Saddiq. Malaysia needs to overhaul its politics, which have been controlled and manipulated by the old guards for a long time.

However, Syed Saddiq needs to be realistic. He can’t build Rome in one day and only with the youth.

This country has a population of young, middle-aged and older people, professionals and blue-collar workers, literate with college degrees and without college degrees as well as less literate. It has urbanites, suburban and rural folks.

Malaysia is a parliamentary democracy and the government comes from a political party with most MPs. Similarly, in each state.

While there are politicians who are corrupted, greedy, and self-serving, especially on race and religion - and they should not be supported by the rakyat - there are also politicians who truly care and work for the community.

They choose politics not just for money, power or position. They do not go around shouting racial and religious slogans and divisiveness. They are colour-blind and not religious-toxic. They are still young.

Remember all youth will grow to be middle age and older. Many of these worthy politicians, MPs and assemblypersons can be found in each political party and share the same values.

It will be more effective for Syed Saddiq if he and his group work with them. Syed Saddiq and others know who they are. Many of them are in DAP, PKR, Amanah and a few even in Umno, Warisan and GPS.

Just make sure they share the same values and are not opportunistic. The youth party can either recruit them or join them in a coalition.

Xenobio: I disagree. During the two years Pakatan Harapan was in power, they appointed some younger people to the cabinet, but they were sidelined and overruled despite their good performance.

Even in Harapan, which is more progressive than BN, the old guard's sense of entitlement is still very strong and they don't have a good succession plan/career progression for the younger leaders.

The line-up of young leaders who have agreed to get on board with Syed Saddiq is truly impressive. I'm glad to see a move away from the old-fashioned structures that have bogged down both BN and Harapan.

If these people can maintain their focus, and keep in mind that politics is only a means to an end, I believe some of them can be effective leaders.

They tried. It didn't work. It’s better to start fresh. The mainstream parties will still be around but I think new parties are needed to force them to take young people seriously.

GreenViper4010: Great initiative Syed Saddiq, and thank you for going where others have not gone before. May the force be with you!

I think your ideas of diversity and non-corruption are noble, but I fear that eventually they will run into the rocks of kampung ignorance, religious and racial supremacy, and the feudal mindset of the vast majority of Malaysians of all races.

Shibboleth: My sense of Syed Saddiq's "disruptive political movement" is that he is too idealistic. There is nothing wrong with that. Once upon a time we, too, protest and march to Parliament, much to the horror of our parents.

Most disruptive innovation needs three things - a business model, lots of money from investors and a super app. It’s just the same when it comes to disruptive politics.

I suspect Syed Saddiq supporters come from the "Bangsar bubble". And these constituents are already led by very competent, young and loyal party members. So, good luck. But it will be tough going.

Antibend: Malaysians, not all of them, must be terribly naive to think that this young kid can do wonders for Malaysia. All his talk of taking politics away from the older and corrupt generation might be shortlived. Wait until the politics of race and religious hatred engulfs him.

Anyway, why did he join a racial party in the first instance, especially led by none other than Dr Mahathir Mohamad who knows no other brand of politics than racial?

Yet this young kid wants to deliver Malaysians from the evils associated with power and the enticement of racial and religious politics. With controversial Muslim preacher Zakir Naik as his ‘hidden advisor’, there is nothing but future decay.

Saddened Malaysian: Kudos to Syed Saddiq for thinking out of the box. Some folks who are critical here most probably don’t fit the youth criteria.

It is about time we rock the boat. These young people have my vote, we should encourage and support them to move the country forward. Everyone makes mistakes and they learn from them, so good on him.

IndigoSwan6963: Syed Saddiq, I am a senior citizen and I take this great opportunity to encourage you and your team of young generation leaders who will stop the rot in this beloved country of ours.

To break away from the older generations by staying out of the shadows of the current leadership, I truly hope that Malaysians will now look to young leaders to change the course of our future generations to come.

By moving away from racial, religious and influences from tycoons and patronage culture, you and your young leaders bring hope for the future. Many current ministers and leaders are blinded by greed for power and wealth at the pretence of caring for all Malaysians, especially our poor rural folks.

Be bold to do what is right for the country and you will have the support from the masses, especially the young ones.

Go for it. Form a party and work with those that are aligned with the vision of inclusiveness regardless of ethnic, racial and religious background.

BusinessFirst: Please start a party and open a bank account soon. I want to donate.

I think many uncles and aunties of my generation - Malays, Chinese, Indians, Eurasians, Orang Asal and all the mixes in between which makes Malaysians such wonderful people - will be happy to do so.

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