RANTING

KERANJI
PARLIMEN KAMPAR

PERSONAL POLITICAL STANCE &

VIEW

"TODAY'S YOUTH IS TOMORROW'S LEADER, WITHOUT YOUTH ONE

COUNTRY HAS NO FUTURE." – Alexandre Ong

This post is especially dedicated & directed to all youngsters out there
(ESPECIALLY MALAYSIAN YOUTH) who think the political landscape of this
country does not affect their aspects of life one way or another. If I may humbly say
so, this is such a foolish and ignorant thought to have.

The year is 2020 and it is still not uncommon practice to refer to politicians as
‘young’ if they are hovering at 35-40 years of age. FUN FACTS: 51% of the world’s
population is under 30 but only 2% are Members of Parliament. In addition, People
between the ages of 20 and 44 make up 57% of the world’s voting age population but
only 26% of the world’s MPs. In today’s day and age, Youth are not represented
adequately in formal political institutions and processes such as Parliaments, State
Legislative Assembly, Local Government/ Authority, Political Parties, Elections, and
Public Administrations. The situation is even more difficult for both young women as
well as women at mid-level and decision-making/leadership positions. In order to
respond to the needs of the youth, and to guarantee that their basic human rights not to
mention interests are heard, recognized and enforced, the youth’s spirited and
meaningful participation in their societies and in democratic practices and processes is
of crucial importance. From where I stand, meaningful youth participation and
leadership necessitate that youth and young people-led organizations have equal
opportunities, capacities, and benefit from an enabling environment and relevant
evidence based programmes and policies at all levels. Realizing young people’s right
to participate and be included in democratic processes and practices is also vital to
ensure the achievement of internationally agreed development goals and to refresh the
development agenda.

“One man's meat is another man's poison.” No one should be a slave of others’
passions, hopes and dreams. I am by no means attempting to deny or diminish the fact
that youth should inevitably be given liberty without exception to retain their own
personal views on why they chose to distance themself, take no interest in our
country's political development. The gist of their views/ arguments may consist of
inter alia:
 1. Politics is extremely “dirty” & “corrupted”
2. There are way more to life than just Politics
3. The mind-set of “The government is apathetic towards me, I'm just a "little pea"
in the entire government's policy making scheme.”
4. The mind-set of “I am a nobody, my voice, effort, desire for a change means
nothing because I don't matter (I'm only the 1 out of 32,000,000 million
population)
5. Politics is reserved only for the rich, elites and reputable in society
6. Age discrimination which could brew biasness & skew potential opportunities
7. Other whatsoever reasons which I didn't included above

Allow me to pick your brain by dishing out this query: "Why should the Youth
participate in politics and does this participation bring them any benefits?" There is no
right or wrong answer to the abovementioned query. However my outlook will be
deciphered in the most direct & and simplest of way as follows. For starters, involving
young people in politics indubitably leads to a civic engagement that goes beyond
political commitment because it can bridge into serving the community through
participation in social awareness programme, charitable work just to name a few.
Under such circumstances, young people who participated politically in their
community from early on are more likely to become engaged citizens and voters. So
in order to have better “young” citizenship, politics is one of the best tools.

Furthermore, the concept of “Youth for Youth” and its significance. Let’s face it, the
youth face many issues in the world, but these issues more often than so go unheard &
misapprehended. Since the youth would better understand other young people namely
their peers, the optimal way to improve this newer generation would be through
politics, which is a mechanism utilised to take action for development.

Sticking on the topic of youth empowerment, the “elephant in the room” no one dare
to address is the issue of Status Quo. Despite making up more than half of the
population in many countries, youth (ages 18-30) frequently find themselves
marginalized from mainstream politics and decision making. They struggle to obtain
the respect of public officials and are seen as lacking the skills and experience to
engage in political activity and lead positive change in their communities. This
exclusion, combined with limited educational and economic opportunities, can leave
youth both idle and frustrated with the status quo.

Today’s youth requires real concrete opportunities to participate in political processes

and contribute to practical solutions that advance development. If and when present
with an opportunity to organize, voice their opinions and play a meaningful role in
political decision making, youth consistently demonstrate their willingness and ability
to foster positive, lasting change. They also become more likely to demand and
defend democracy, and gain a greater sense of belonging in the country they called
home.
In my self-effacing belief, established veteran leaders in the political arena ought to
and should encourage & endorse youth to channel their energy, creativity and
aspirations en route of them transforming into political leaders and activists. It could
also be construed that the approach aforementioned could effectively break down
sociocultural and institutional barriers to participation and crucially age & experience
barrier with fellow veteran political leader. To those veteran politicians out there who
are nonetheless still doubtful of the young prospect’s raw potential and competency in
assuming a vital position/ role thus further hesitant in cultivating & grooming the
youth to be the leaders of tomorrow. I with noble intention bestow to all of you two
refreshing illuminating quotes serves to open your eyes:

1. “Young people have every right to be active participants in civic and public
life and it is time to ensure they no longer face arbitrary barriers to run for
public office – whether at the local, regional or national level,” - UN
Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, Ahmad Alhendawi

2. “If young people are not too young to get married, to serve in the military or
to choose the parliamentarians who will represent them, they are Not Too
Young To Run,” - IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong

In life, in every democratic system practiced, EVERYONE inclusive of the YOUTH

is entitled to their own personal opinion. But one simply cannot deny the fact that
Politics and the policy making process carried with it does affect each and every one
and dare I emphasised again, the YOUTH of all people. IT IS BLATANTLY
WRONG on the part of those who still think otherwise.

My personal message to all youth out there, today onwards please alter your mindset
and ponder on this quote: "If our youth arise and act, they have the strength and
dynamism to create a huge transformation in society." – Amma. I am always a firm
believer in the saying: "Today's youth is tomorrow's leader, without youth one
country has no future." Truth to be told, I kept the above-mentioned quote & saying
close to heart & mind, hence unconsciously carried out my day to day lifestyle in
accordance to it, sort of like my vision or motto in life. THIS IS THE VERY
REASON WHY I DECIDED TO JOIN POLITICS in the first place upon
returning to Malaysia after my tertiary studies because firstly, the impact of the above
quote & saying. Secondly, I want to bring a positive change to our beloved nation
through politics no matter how major or minor it turns out to be. Thirdly, I want to be
an inspiration or "ambassador" to all YOUTH out there and prove to them that
YOUTH does have a place in this sophisticated world we are living in today. It is high
time for YOUTH to start paying attention to the world (primarily politics landscape
and development) they are living in and get out of their "comfortable bubble".
I hope my disquisition could influence and enlighten established veteran political
leaders over and above the youth out there today. Even so, the fight does not cease
here, it is merely the inception of an uphill battle.

Alexandre Ong
Kampar KEADILAN Youth Vice-Chief