Malaysian 14th General Election: Young Voters & Rising Political Participation

The 14th General Election (GE14) was the most exciting general election ever had by Malaysian's ever since its independence in 1957. The high participation of young voters or better known as the ‘Kingmaker' which made up 41% of the total voters was the main reason for the topple of Barisan Nasional (BN) government that have administrated the nation for the last 60 years. Given the influence of awareness towards electoral issues and the political knowledge, this paper aims to understand the young voters' participation during election. Guided by Michael Foucault ‘Theory of Power', this paper examines how voters rely on technology to educate themselves on the election issues that become a concern for them before exercising their power by determining and selecting their preferred government. The findings of the data were collected through focus group discussions, involving twelve (12) participants which consist of Malay, Chinese and Indian voters, aged between 21-39 years old. From the findings, issues relating to 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), Goods and Service Tax (GST), high cost of living, and PTPTN have grabbed their attention. Their concern towards these issues were caused by the economy impact that it has on their daily lives. Influenced by their heavy reliance on social media as a source of information which was easily accessible through smart phones further motivates them to cast their votes despite of their depth of knowledge on electoral processes. Nevertheless, both Government and the Election Commission have a vital role to play in drawing young voters' attention whilst engaging and educating them for the next General Election.