JOHOR BARU: The youth wings of political parties have already kicked into high gear to woo the youth vote.

       Apart from social media, they are also using conventional approaches such as house-to-house visits, ceramah and walkabouts, as allowed under the standard operating procedure for the Johor election.

       Johor MCA Youth chief Ling Tian Soon said the party had deployed 100 of its youth volunteers to reach out to young voters.

       “We set up a Johor youth volunteer team to help the public during the pandemic.

       “Currently, there are about 100 volunteers at three locations, namely Yong Peng, Jementah and Pekan Nenas,” he said.

       He added that the volunteers would engage with young voters through various online and offline programmes to encourage them to cast their ballots.

       On the ground: (From left) Ling, Mohd Hairi and Yuneswaran are ensuring that the young voters are well- informed and ready to cast their ballots on election day.

       This was important for new voters, including those between the ages of 18 and 21, said Ling.

       “This is the first time they will be voting and they need to prove that young people are also concerned about the politics in this country and that they want their voices to be heard,” he said.

       Johor Umno Youth chief Mohd Hairi Mad Shah said the party would not rely solely on social media as the personal touch is seen as a more effective way to reach out to others.

       “While we understand the importance of using social media, we cannot rely on it alone.

       “Youths want to know their leaders on a deeper and more personal level, so we need to still go to the ground and meet them,” he said.

       The state chief of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia youth wing Armada, Muhd Shamsuddin Taijan, said it would use all the facilities available to reach out to young voters.

       “We are focusing more on social media, including posting live videos on talks related to the election.

       “We also plan to distribute pamphlets and leaflets to the public, as well as conduct door-to-door visits as allowed under the SOP,” he said.

       For PKR’s youth wing Angkatan Muda Keadilan (AMK), its online programmes will focus on talks and forums highlighting issues such as youth unemployment and student loans.

       Johor AMK chief R. Yuneswaran said it has been conducting online forums.

       “We also talked about the importance of voting, especially among young voters. We want to encourage them to cast their votes as that would determine the fate of the state.”

       As for physical events, he said members from 24 divisions state-wide had started campaigning in their areas.

       Also mixing both online and offline strategies is the DAP youth wing (Dapsy).

       Its state chief Sheikh Umar Bagharib Ali said the conventional approach such as walkabouts was still needed in rural areas.

       “DAP has always used social media to disseminate information to the public and we will continue doing so in this election.

       “However, there are places in rural areas where the Internet connection is limited, so we would still need to use the conventional approach,” he said.

       He said DAP had been reaching out to young voters even before the election.

       “In GE14, between 70% and 80% of our candidates were those aged 40 and below,” he added.