KUCHING: A lack of political awareness and empathy among the younger generation is the main cause that led to the low turnout in the recent Jepak by-election, according to Dr Arnold Puyok.
In an interview after a courtesy call on New Sarawak Tribune and Suara Sarawak CEO Dr Jeniri Amir, the Senior Lecturer in Politics and Government Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak said the disengagement of young voters stems from a fundamental unawareness of the significance of casting their vote.
Examining the Jepak by-election held on Nov 4, he pointed out that factors such as overlapping work schedules and a prevailing perception of a “forgone conclusion” played a role in the low voter turnout.
“Nevertheless, the perception of young people is that they feel there is no point in voting because there are no compelling reasons for them to participate.
“At the same time, the demographic, aged between 18 to 20 and 21 to 29, makes up the largest cluster of voters.”
Furthermore, he stated that the disinterest among young people in politics stems from their association of politics with three elements: greed, monetary pursuits, and the misuse of power.
“This leads to their lack of interest in studying and understanding what politics is, thus preventing them from wanting to learn further.
“This, in turn, is a major contributor to the political apathy observed among young individuals. It is crucial to realise that politics is more than that; it is about building a government and the decision-making process.”
To this end, Puyok shared that he and his team are actively conducting research to further understand the factors that lead to the low level of political empathy among young people.
To address the issue strategically, he emphasised the need for comprehensive demographic data including origins, educational background, socioeconomic status, and sociocultural context.
“We need to understand all of this first before we can come up with a specific programme to deal with this problem.
“But I think what needs to be done is to first get the fresh voters aged between 18 to 20 to increase their awareness of politics.”
He added that the first step to increase political awareness begins with exposing the fundamental concepts of politics and government through university subjects.
“Provide explanations to young people regarding law, power and legitimacy is essential in creating this awareness.
“Our goal is not to train students to become politicians but to equip them with the skills to analyse politics objectively, logically, and scientifically.”
