左眼右眼 C U , C Me !: NST 29.4.2013 - 1st Time Young Candidates

POSITIVE CHANGE: Strategist Neil Foo is confident that young BN candidates who are contesting for the first time will rake in a lot of votes

KUALA LUMPUR: WITH nearly 80 per cent first-timers contesting as candidates under the Barisan Nasional banner in the coming general election, BN Youth chief strategist Neil Foo Seck Chyn admits there's a calculated risk in fielding them, but overall, he is confident of a positive outcome.

In MCA Youth, where 12 of their candidates are contesting, more than 50 per cent are first-timers.

Foo, who is also MCA Youth strategic planning bureau chief, speaks to Streets about how fresh candidates will help BN secure the desired results.

Question: What exactly is BN Youth's strategy?

Answer: We have looked at the numbers, 23 per cent of the total electorate are first-time voters, and of this, 42 per cent are aged 40 and below while 18 per cent are below 30 years of age.

Young candidates are able to engage young voters. They are also able to identify the wants and needs and come up with creative ideas to meet these needs.

The mood is also for change and we are giving our young voters just that.

Question: Young candidates come without experience. Is there a potential risk in fielding them?

Answer: New candidates start on a clean slate, there are no past records to refer to.

But yes, there is a calculated risk. For instance, in Bandar Tun Razak where first-timer Tan Kok Eng is facing Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, who is Selangor menteri besar and who was a prominent corporate figure at one time.

But if our new candidate has got good values and strategy, he can put up a good fight. And we have been doing the ground work in Bandar Tun Razak. MCA has two service centres that have been in full operation even though we lost the seat in 2008.

Question: What do young voters look for in a candidate?

Answer: Young voters, typically Gen Y, are less interested in the party a candidate represents, but who would look at the candidate as an individual and gauge what he or she has to offer, in terms of ideas and effectiveness as a wakil rakyat. Which is why the candidate has to have a good command of the mainstream languages so that they can connect with all voters. Apart from written and spoken skills, they must also be able to communicate effectively using the new media lingo.

And young voters are bound to be inspired by young candidates, especially when they realise that these are their peers who have offered themselves to be leaders of their community.

Question: You mentioned young voters are not too particular about which party the candidate represents. If this is so, is MCA willing to take a back seat as a party?

Answer: Yes, we are ready to take a back seat and play a supporting role. We are ready to change and rebrand the party, and this will eventually mean being rejuvenated by young energy.

Question: How do you think these new faces will fare in the coming elections?

Answer: I'm certain of a positive outcome. In areas where there is a good racial mix, we stand a good chance of winning. In areas where a single race predominates such as Cheras, Bukit Bintang and Seputeh, in the past we have not really won, but we will try to reduce the margin.

Question: What exactly are young voters concerned about?

Answer: We found through the BN Youth lab study that young people are most concerned about their income where they find it hard to maintain a reasonable lifestyle. They want to get out of the middle-income trap and earn more.

They are also concerned about the crime rate and safety issues. Another major concern is the integrity and corruption level in the country.

Question: How are their concerns being addressed?

Answer: There is a lot the government has put in place already such as the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) and the Govern ment Transformation Programme (GTP). To fulfil the housing needs of first-time house buyers, there is the 1Malaysia Public Housing scheme.

Question: What is the role of the new media in trying to get the support of Gen Y voters?

Answer: We have been using the new media, from blogs to Twitter to Instagram and Youtube, but the Opposition parties have been using these media before us to reach out to voters.

We were lagging behind but we are catching up. Since the 2008 elections, we have also taken to the new media in a big way to explain government policies in simple language.