Malaysia is facing a general election in the next few months
as stipulated by the country’s constitution. There has been amped up efforts
by the Election Commission, through its Election Academy, to get more youths to
register as voters. These are all good measures in a democratic country.
However, for years, there has been rumblings especially by the opposition, to
make registration and voting compulsory.
While it sounds like common sense, there is a good argument
against making voting compulsory. Firstly, in a liberal-democracy, the people
should have the right to vote for the incumbent, the opposition, or not to vote
at all. Usually, voters go out to vote as an expression of their political
will. However, there may be a section of the population that is disillusioned
by the political scene that their sense of political efficacy is affected. As a
result, they could not even make up their mind who to vote for.
Of course, one can argue that as a citizen, it is their
responsibility to decide on the future leader of our country. But another way
to see it is that they may not feel that the opposition can do much anyway, so why
bother rocking the boat. In this sense, by not voting, they are showing their
support for the status quo. On another hand, if they truly want the current government
to continue leading the country, the argument goes, they should make their
voices heard. However, as disillusioned youths, maybe it does not matter to
them who rules. Maybe, that should not be blown into a bigger issue.
These youths who do not have an established political
attitude, may not make informed decision if they are forced to vote. Without
interest in politics or the sense of political efficacy, they may vote based on
the voting behaviour of their peers. How is that much better?
Voting should not be made compulsory. Let those who are
politically aware do the hard work of comparing parties to choose the lesser of
evils. If the youths feels their voices are not acknowledged, they may rise on
their own, without mandatory registration or voting as it did in 2013 when 84%
of voters went out to vote. This is relatively high among countries that do not
have compulsory voting.
If we want the youths to vote, do not force them. Encourage
them by letting them know that they are being heard. When the youths band
together, they can move mountains. Or at the least, vote for young leaders as
they did in Canada, France, Austria, and more recently New Zealand.