Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Umno divisions and branches have been ordered to immediately identify and approach young people who are automatically registered as voters.
Sabah Umno Chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin said voters aged from 18 to 20 made up 16pc or 6.9 million of new voters that played a crucial vote to swing support for parties during the recent elections in six states in the peninsula.
“We need to pay attention to young voters because they are important and critical in determining winners during the election,” he said, in a statement, Wednesday.
Bung said these young voters were mostly influenced by campaigns through social media and generally do not have a proper understanding of the political trends.
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Many of these young voters are not tied up to any political party or fixed principles unlike older voters, he said after chairing the Sabah Umno Liaison Committee meeting here.
“It is important that we give them clear and accurate information about the party’s policies and struggles as well as government programmes for improving their economic status,” Bung said.
“When the party makes the approach towards these young people, it gives them an impetus to work together for Umno’s struggle,” he said, adding the party’s Youth and Puteri wings must play their role to win over new voters.
Bung, who thanked Sabah Barisan Nasional machinery that campaigned mainly in the Selangor state election, said the eroded support for Barisan should spur them to take action to strengthen the party.
He said everyone in the party must take responsibility and not blame Umno President Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi or call for his resignation. Sabah Umno will continue to support the party president because we see the decline in support (at the polls) is “due to many factors”.
He said a thorough post-mortem should be done to improve weaknesses, and this responsibility needs to be shouldered by all party leaders at national, state, division and branch levels.
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