Youths: We are not blinded by goodies, promises

Knowing well that a high number of young voters could make a significant impact on the 13th general election result, both BN and Pakatan Rakyat have been going all out to offer the youth “friendly policies” so as to win their hearts, especially the first-time voters.

The BN government has been giving out RM250 book vouchers to students in tertiary institutions and the RM200 smartphone rebate, while Pakatan has promised to provide free higher education and do away with the Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loan.

Contrary to the general perception that young voters will blindly accept these goodies and promises, most youths interviewed byMalaysiakini recently are sceptical about the financial resources available to fund these proposals.

Physiotherapy student Lohshini Manickavasagam appreciates BN's cash handouts, but wonders "where all this money comes from?"

She said: "Is it because of the coming election this year? I always have that question mark in my mind." 

Like Lohshini, English tutor Yong Yui Jien(right) finds the handouts attractive, but doubts they can be long-term solutions.

Marketing student Chong Kai Siang bluntly stated that the vouchers "are not useful".

"They are spending our money, taxpayers' money... but PTPTN should be abolished," said the 23-year-old.

Ardent Pakatan supporter and English tutor Vincent Paul Jordan Rodriquez is all for the study loan being abolished.

"Why should we pay back on a fund that is provided for the future generations of the country?" Vincent Paul said, echoing the call of the advocates of free education.

Education as investment 

He reasons that since not everybody was qualified for a scholarship, the rest would apply for study loans, which should be considered as an investment by the government on the future of the country.

"Malaysians should not be asked to pay back on education loans. It's like helping your own children, the future generation... an investment of sorts. So, why ask them to pay back?"

Nevertheless, this controversial promise in the Pakatan election manifesto was not spared from criticism either.

"Students must pay back, if not the government will no longer have a fund to provide this loan," said Angelina Tan Mei Ting, who is currently looking for a job.

Graphic designer Pern Tan Sze Mun(left) shares Mei Ting's view.

Sze Mun related how the loan enabled her to continue with her higher studies after she failed to obtain a scholarship.

"I think it's ridiculous (to abolish the PTPTN), we must be grateful. People should pay back, if not what will happen to all the money borrowed by so many people?" she asked.

Call centre agent Nurul Atikah Abdul Aziz (right)and Universiti Malaya student Hafizan Ali chose a middle path, saying that PTPTN should remain but the interest on the loan should be waived.

"It is our responsibility to pay back," said Hafizan.

Despite their differences on the policies of the two political coalitions, the youths acknowledged that both BN and Pakatan played their cards well.

'Both coalitions playing cards well'

Journalist Adrian Lai Sher Wynn said that the youths will play an important role, therefore it would only be natural for the political parties to target them.

"It's a good effort. The opposition can promise heaven and earth, but promises must be fulfilled. The same goes for the establishment."

Vincent admitted that the policies themselves were political, that this was a trend started by BN and Pakatan taking a leaf out of the BN book.

"The focus now is on the young people because they make up a sizeable number of voters, and will be for many years to come. 

"So, why would the government want to focus on old voters?" he said, quite brazenly.

However, law graduate Gayathri Jayakumar (left) holds the view that both sides of the political divide have a long way to go and that their efforts are not good enough.

"I feel it's easier for them to convince youths, but they will take some time to convince the elders as the older generations have fixed mindsets.

"It does benefit us, but there's no assurance that all the promises will be carried out,” Gayathri said.

As for Lohshini, she sees the youth policies of both political coalitions as a smart way to tackle voters, since "everyone has a soft spot for such promises".

An active user of Twitter and Facebook, Lohshini believes sees the social media as empowering the youth with information about what is going on in the country, and on politics as well.

"We don't blindly follow, you see. We get our sources of information from everywhere. So, they, those in power know that we can be a very dangerous crowd, and they want to tackle that."