In Melaka manifesto, PH vows to give youths 30% of local council contracts

PKR Melaka acting chairman Adam Adli Abd Halim warned that political parties risk developing a leadership gap if they continue to expect young people to support election campaigns without providing them opportunities to contest. He emphasized that younger candidates need room to prove their capabilities and gain electoral experience, especially with the changes to the voting age and automatic voter registration.

Adli responded to criticism of younger candidates in the 16th Melaka state election at a press conference, stating that candidates should be judged on their ability to represent diverse segments of society, rather than their seniority within the party or connections to leaders. He acknowledged the stereotypes and pressure faced by younger candidates, many of whom were contesting for the first time, but cautioned that selecting young candidates does not guarantee automatic support from younger voters, whose preferences are also influenced by family, surroundings, and individual considerations.

Adli stressed that failure to start grooming younger leaders now will prevent a more complete pool of experience from being built within this group over the next five to ten years.