Malaysian parties' youth wings gear up for general election

They are all set to woo 7.8 million first-time voters even as year-end floods loom

PETALING JAYA - Youth branches from Malaysia's political parties are all geared up to roll out the election machinery for the 15th General Election (GE15), especially in their power bases in the divisions and branches.

Besides electoral activities, there are also nearly eight million new voters to woo and the year-end monsoon floods to prepare for.

Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) Youth chief Nicole Wong said the election machinery at the youth level is ready and it is now in the final stage of strengthening the election machinery in all divisions.

"The youth election machinery is on standby and will start mobilising support from the voters whenever Parliament is dissolved," she said on Tuesday.

She said social media will be the battlefield for MCA Youth.

Engaging with youth is crucial, she added, as the Election Commission has predicted that the lowering of voting age from 21 to 18, along with automatic voter registration, will add another 7.8 million voters to the electoral roll, representing a huge increase in voters from the last polls in 2018.