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Why Malaysia needs more young leaders in Parliament

Editorial / Opinion Piece / Blog Post

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October 8, 2020

Why Malaysia needs more young leaders in Parliament

Source: Free Malaysia Today

In his paper “Does it matter that politicians are older than their constituents? Yes.”, Harvard postdoctoral fellow Charles T McClean posits: “Young people are under-represented in most political institutions. Over half of the world’s voters are under 40, compared to just 14% of MPs.”

In Malaysia, we see a greater discrepancy in the percentages, where the average age of ministers in Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s Cabinet is 57 years and there is absolutely no youth presence in Parliament.

The lack of ministers in the Cabinet with a full set of hair is concerning, as it is to my and many other Malaysians’ belief that there is a need for strong youth participation in Parliament to form an effective government.

Click here to read the full article published by Free Malaysia Today on 8 October 2020.

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In his paper “Does it matter that politicians are older than their constituents? Yes.”, Harvard postdoctoral fellow Charles T McClean posits: “Young people are under-represented in most political institutions. Over half of the world’s voters are under 40, compared to just 14% of MPs.”

In Malaysia, we see a greater discrepancy in the percentages, where the average age of ministers in Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s Cabinet is 57 years and there is absolutely no youth presence in Parliament.

The lack of ministers in the Cabinet with a full set of hair is concerning, as it is to my and many other Malaysians’ belief that there is a need for strong youth participation in Parliament to form an effective government.

Click here to read the full article published by Free Malaysia Today on 8 October 2020.

Region
Focus areas