GE14 lost with rejection of BN by Gen Y, warns Sabbaruddin Chik

Is it true that Barisan Nasional will lose Putrajaya in the coming 14^th General election?

Barisan Nasional will lose Putrajaya in the 14th general election (GE14) if young voters remain unimpressed and its handling of issues such as corruption and transparency, warns former Umno secretary-general Tan Sri Sabbaruddin Chik.

He said the younger generation was no longer stupid, and Umno and BN were in for an unprecedented nightmare should Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his administration carry on without any meaningful reforms.

“In the next general election, I am worried that if we do nothing, we will face bigger problems... most of the Generation Y is not with us.”

The Election Commission (EC) said in 2013 that 70% of the estimated 4.2 million unregistered voters were between the ages of 21 and 40. Some 450,000 Malaysians turn 21 each year, the eligible voting age in the country.

Sabbaruddin did not rule out the possibility that BN would lose half the seats it managed to cling to in last year’s general election, which already saw the ruling coalition lose the popular vote in its worst polls showing in history.

“If there are no serious changes, we will lose half. Now, (we have lost the) two-thirds (majority),” said the veteran politician who served as the Umno secretary-general in 1996.

“Corruption, leakages and transparency must be emphasized,” he said, adding that these were the main factors behind the youths’ rejection of BN.

Young, first-time voters were vital in boosting the loose coalition of DAP, PKR and PAS’s presence in Parliament after the 2008 general election. The EC has registered 2.4 million new voters in 2013 or 30% of the electorate.