This article first appeared in Forum, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on May 28, 2018 - June 3, 2018

Malaysia is changing for the better. There will, of course, be many analyses on the hows and whys of the historic 14th general election on May 9 but I want to focus on the future.

GE14 was about the youth

One thing I will say is that it is very clear that young Malaysians — along with the rest of the country — voted for change. They also actively participated in bringing change. Countless young Malaysians worked on campaigns or acted as volunteers.

Moreover, Pakatan Harapan (PH) — made up of Keadilan, DAP, Amanah and Bersatu — fielded an unprecedented number of young candidates. There were 104 of us, including 23 for parliament and 81 for the various state assemblies.

I am grateful to say that 13 became MPs and 45 ADUN (Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri). I am confident that my newly elected legislator colleagues will be effective voices of the young, new Malaysia. GE14 was something that all Malaysians —especially the young ones — can be proud of.

We took our country’s future into our own hands.

To our Malaysian diaspora, I am sorry that many of you were unable to vote. I vow to you that this will not happen again.

We nevertheless felt your support for us from afar. We will not let you down either.

My message is simple: come back. I hope that you will eventually return to contribute to our great national cause of reform.

Your country needs you. Your country wants you.

PH must keep its promises to the young

What is most important is that the new administration led by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad keeps its promises to young Malaysians. It has made a good start, including zero rating the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

But we must also fulfil the other pledges made in our manifesto. We promised to postpone the repayment of PTPTN (Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional) loans for graduates whose salaries are below RM4,000 a month, build one million affordable houses within two terms and provide a marriage incentive scheme.

We promised to revoke and replace the University and University Colleges Act 1971. The same must be done for all laws or practices that limit civil liberties and political freedom.

We certainly cannot fail in the commitments we have made to the youth. These include creating one million jobs with a minimum monthly salary of RM1,500 within five years (200,000 of which will be in Sabah and Sarawak), a RM1 billion annual Young Entrepreneurs’ Empowerment Fund, as well as halve broadband costs and ensure there is high-speed internet access in all towns and villages.

I hope that the new government will make these matters a priority.

The problems of youth bankruptcy, unemployment, skills obsolescence, violence against women and children as well as discrimination against minorities must be tackled fearlessly.

Pakatan Harapan Youth will certainly not rest until the government has delivered the platform it was elected upon.

There will likely be road bumps along the way. But the people have given us their trust and we must get down to business.

Malaysia must catch up

We must also plan for a world that will inevitably change.

The global geopolitical situation remains uncertain, although Malaysia has blunted the worldwide march of authoritarianism.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution — driven by automation and big data — will without doubt cause major disruptions and national and regional economic dislocation.

This is to say nothing of a world whose complacent social mores have been rocked by the return of identity politics and the #MeToo movement.

Malaysia, to put it mildly, has a lot of catching up to do. Our internal rivalries pale in comparison when we consider the difficult challenges our country will face in the decades to come.

It is time for us to grow up.

Nobody will care about Malaysia’s hang-ups in the New Great Game of unrelenting competition for resources, investment and influence.

Institutional reform is needed

The decades of inertia under the previous regime have made the task at hand all the more complicated. Still, it is not impossible. It will take unity and discipline. That is why PH’s stress on institutional reform is so important.

Our public institutions must be free again. There must be an end to corrupt practices. We must get to the bottom of the scandals of the past.

Difficult choices — including those for our education system — will need to be made. These can only be made successfully if we have the support of Malaysia’s diverse peoples. It can only happen if our institutions, including the media, are independent. All Malaysians must be confident that their rights are protected by disinterested arbiters — our judiciary, law enforcement and civil service — even as our country evolves.

Institutional reform may be scary, but we must not shy away from it. Indeed, our future prosperity relies on it.

Take the “creative economy”, which has lately become a political buzzword. Recognising its importance was something that Pakatan Harapan Youth pressed for in our “Tawaran Anak Muda” and it was eventually included in our manifesto.

Many young people dream of becoming the next Jack Ma. They have their own plans for start-ups and new killer apps, with little or no stimulus from the state.

Indeed, Malaysians have always been able to produce world-beaters. But our country cannot be the start-up hub it aspires to be if attitudes do not change in the public and private sectors.

Government support is, of course, essential in many cases. This will continue under Pakatan Harapan. But the government should not just throw money at politically connected players, or to act as crutches for them.

Rather, it should ensure that young Malaysians with talent, energy and ideas are given equal opportunities.

They need to be protected from corruption and predatory behaviour by those with vested interests, and not face unnecessary red tape. Their access to financing, licences, contracts and scholarships must be based on genuine merit.

Their success or failure must be based on their “know how”, rather than “know who”. The Barisan Nasional government did not have the political will to do this. That is why all its glossy, expensively produced plans failed miserably.

This is why institutional reform is so important and why the youth should back it. This is why Pakatan Harapan Youth will not let up on this point.

By proving that we can peacefully change our government, Malaysia has chosen progress over stagnation.

But more needs to be done. The youth must lead the way. We hope that they will support us, but also check us if we stray.

The choices that we make together as a nation will determine the kind of Malaysia and world we will leave our children.

Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad is Pakatan Harapan and Keadilan Youth leader as well as Setiawangsa MP. He has written several books in both English and Malay. He was an assemblyman in the Selangor government for two terms and was an executive councillor.

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