PETALING JAYA: Better job opportunities and party hopping are among the issues first-time voters want addressed in the upcoming Johor state election.
Fareez Syimeer said he wants the “party hopping” practice in Malaysian politics to stop.
The 25-year-old mechanical engineer from Johor Baru said another concern he had for Malaysia is job availability.
“I believe my peers just want to have better opportunities in our careers with better income since the cost of living here is also on the rise,” he told theSun.
Fareez added that he wants better opportunities all round for fellow Malaysians in every industry because, according to him, currently it is very hard for youths to survive financially.
“Many graduates are jobless, and those who manage to secure a job are exploited by employers with heavy workloads and minimum salary,” he said, adding he just wants to live within means and contribute towards a better Malaysia.
Another first-time voter, Arif Mohd Azahari, said he is somewhat excited to be eligible to vote as he has watched his family cast their ballots and always wondered what the experience would be like.
The second-year corporate communications student said he is planning to vote although it may depend on his class schedules.
Asked what he understood about Malaysian politics, Arif, 20, admitted he does not follow it closely but he is aware of a few things that are related to his field of study.
“I hope for less or zero corruption in this country and for politicians to care about Malaysia. We as citizens depend on the leaders,” he said.
Arif said he will consider registering for postal voting that is open for registration online on the Election Commission website until Feb 18.
Last month, the Johor State Legislative Assembly approved an amendment to the State Constitution to lower the minimum age to vote and contest in elections to 18.
The amendment to Clause 16 of Part Two of the Government Constitution 1895 was approved unanimously by the 53 assemblymen present at a special sitting of the state assembly.
The Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara had approved the amendment to the Federal Constitution to lower the minimum age through the Constitution Act (Amendment) 2019 (A1603) which was gazetted on Sept 10, 2019.
First-time voters from Johor will get to exercise their right in the upcoming state election scheduled for March 12.