BANGI, June 25 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today hailed youths as the vanguard of progressive politics, as he launched a new phase of the three decades-old Rakan Muda programme, expressing hope its participants would be torchbearers of unity and multiculturalism.
The message was likely targeted at young and first-time voters just weeks before the ruling coalition heads into the polls that will decide who governs six states. Anwar suggested they could decide the outcome, which would ultimately dictate if the country becomes more racially divided or united.
“This is a message from Pakcik Anwar to the youth... in a world that is challenging, a social media that is threatening, I only ask of you one thing: Make the right decision,” he said.
“Because by just one mistake of a generation, it could punish the country (and send it) into the valley of indignity. The new generation must rise. If you can rise, we shall be destined to become the greatest nation in the world.”
Hundreds of youths likely to be Rakan Muda members at the launch here cheered the message nearly word by word.
When the prime minister explained that the point of the programme is to instil values that reject “hypocrisy, power abuse, and hatred against other ethnicities”, they screamed as if agreeing.
Anwar, seemingly buoyed by the reception, gave a spirited speech. He pledged to give unwavering support to the programme, starting with giving RM200 in cash to every single registered Rakan Muda.
The packed Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia convocation hall erupted when he made the announcement.
“Whatever you need, I will support,” Anwar said.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, who spearheaded the programme’s revival, said the new phase of Rakan Muda will focus on 10 areas that would spur youth “development”, although it’s unclear if they are significantly different from past programmes.
Rakan Muda was launched in 1994 by the Mahathir administration, which the youth and sports minister at the time described as a platform to help youths “hone their interests”, with the underpinning idea being to draw them away from “social ills” like drug abuse.
Whether or not it succeeded is still up for debate, but the programme has continued through several phases until this day. Yeoh said at the launch Rakan Muda did produce positive results, citing herself as an example.
“What isn’t broken we shouldn’t fix it,” she said.
The timing of the launch had likely factored in the state elections, which Anwar suggested is likely to be held in August. In last year’s November general election, first-time voters made up a fourth of the-more-than 21 million electorate, with those under 40 comprising the largest bulk.
There is a general agreement among pollsters and political pundits that these segments of voters are usually “on the fence”. Voting data from the 15th general election most of them voted for Perikatan Nasional, but that sentiment has shifted considerably since Anwar took over.
Several survey results released this year suggested a huge swathes of youth voters are slowly warming up to Anwar, and believe his government is steering the country in the “right direction” both socially and economically.
