Malaysia opposition appeals for youth protest vote

Malaysian opposition parties appealed to the youth vote on Monday, betting that rising discontent among young voters could weaken the ruling coalition's 50-year-old grip on power at an election next month.

Voters aged under 35 years account for almost half of the electorate and are generally apathetic, but they can sting the establishment when motivated to vote, such as in 1999 when they turned against the government of then premier Mahathir Mohamad.

'We are optimistic that we will see a swing in the youth vote in our favour in the coming election,' said Salahuddin Ayub, head of the youth wing of Islamist opposition party PAS.

He was speaking at the launch of a youth election manifesto by PAS and Parti Keadilan Rakyat, the opposition party of former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, ahead of the March 8 poll.

'We believe there will be a repeat of the opposition swing in the youth vote in the coming elections,' added Salahuddin, referring to a 1999 protest vote that cost the coalition 14 seats and the loss of a key oil-producing state to PAS control.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi faces a tough campaign because of racial tensions, rising prices and anger over street crime, but has opted to call the election 15 months early because the climate is unlikely to improve, political analysts say.

Abdullah is considered certain to win but is unlikely to match his 2004 victory, when the Barisan Nasional coalition won 90 percent of parliamentary seats, partly because young voters embraced his pledge to tackle corruption and open up government.

This time, there are signs young voters are unhappy with the pace of reform. Angry youth formed the bulk of street protests in the capital last year, including two of the biggest in a decade on the issues of electoral reform and race relations.

The PAS-Keadilan manifesto calls for free education through to the end of university, financial help for young entrepreneurs and for repeal of a law banning students from active politics.

But a quick poll of attitudes on the street revealed that some young Malaysians were still not motivated to vote, resigned to the inevitability of yet another win for the coalition that has ruled Malaysia in various forms since independence in 1957.

'I have not registered, but it doesn't make a difference because everyone will vote for Barisan Nasional,' said Irwan Zaili Ariffin, 25, a motorcycle despatch rider, smoking a cigarette with his friends on a pavement in the capital.

'Who is going to care so much about my vote?'

Johann Hashim, 27, a smartly dressed events coordinator working on a laptop at a Starbucks cafe, said Barisan Nasional could be doing better and cited last November's crackdown on a rally by more than 10,000 ethnic Indians in Kuala Lumpur.

But he said the opposition offered no alternative.

'I don't trust the opposition parties with doing a better job because they have no experience,' Johann said.