Sabah polls: Young voters a key factor
Sabah polls: Young voters a key factor
KOTA KINABALU: The next 12 days will be a crucial period for Sabah, or at least for the 596 candidates contesting the Sabah General Election.
From bustling town centres to remote villages, candidates have begun fanning out across the state, each hoping to convince voters that their vision offers the clearest path forward.
They are racing against time as they have until 11.59pm on Nov 28 to make their case to the electorate before leaving their fate to the 1.7 million voters who will cast their ballots the next day.
Although it is too early to gauge sentiment on the ground, with the campaign only in its second day yesterday, one thing is clear: the battle lines have been drawn despite the crowded contests in 73 constituencies.
Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and its election partner, Pakatan Harapan, found themselves on uncertain footing at the starting line after it was confirmed that both coalitions would be clashing in Kemabong and in the highly congested Moyog.
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However, leaders of both coalitions quickly calmed tensions, dismissing the incident as a “friendly fight” and assuring supporters that cooperation between the federal government and Sabah remains strong.
GRS is fielding 55 candidates, 35 per cent of whom are fresh faces.
Political observers say this may give the coalition an advantage given the higher number of young voters this time around.
Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Sabah senior lecturer Dr Jain Yassin said the number of young voters had increased by between 20 and 30 per cent, making them an important group for any candidate.
“With the rise of social media, the youth are more aware of current and political affairs.
“Because of this, some political parties are fielding more young candidates in the hope of winning support from this group.
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“It is good that GRS has new faces contesting, including professionals.
“Other parties, such as Parti Warisan, are also fielding more young candidates.”
Several candidates have unveiled their manifestos, with more parties expected to do so in the coming days.
GRS is expected to unveil its manifesto today.
It is believed that the document will outline the coalition’s plans to address issues faced by the people and initiatives to spur development.
“Having a manifesto is good and may offer an advantage, as it shows that candidates or parties are prepared and have plans to develop Sabah.
“However, the manifesto has to be appealing and realistic, especially to the youth, as this group is now more critical regarding their welfare and well-being.
“And the manifesto must be clear so that people can understand the vision of the contesting parties or candidates,” Jain said.
Associate Professor Dr Romzi Ationg, a senior lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s Centre for the Promotion of Knowledge and Language Learning, said a manifesto might provide a slight advantage, but much depended on the capabilities of the candidates and parties.
“What’s more important to the people is who the candidate is, and whether he or she can fight for the people.
“The people want a candidate who lives in the area, not a parachute candidate.
“They want a candidate who is accessible and humble, not someone who only appears in the constituency when the election is near,” he said.
Sabah polls: Young voters a key factor
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