Azmil Tayeb of Universiti Sains Malaysia said young voters tend to favour true political outsiders rather than figures perceived as part of the establishment.
“It’s hard to see them as a formidable third force because they are still part of the establishment,” he told FMT. “The populist trend around the world has shown that young people tend to support ‘outsiders’ and non-conventional candidates who are not seen as part of the broken system.”
Azmil was commenting on a recent FMT article exploring whether a viable third force could emerge around Khairy and Ong, after Ong announced that he would take leave from academia to campaign for Khairy at the next general election.
Khairy was sacked from Umno in 2023 and has since become a radio DJ and podcast host, while Ong opted out of contesting in the last election and returned to academia. Both, now in their 50s, are generally regarded as more youth‑friendly than many older leaders in Umno and DAP.
Azmil said popularity or cultural appeal is not enough to address deeper frustrations among young Malaysians who make up about half of the total voter roll.
“What matters to disaffected voters is that parties and candidates genuinely understand the challenges faced daily by the voters. They feel there is a serious disconnect between mainstream parties and the regular people, and the system only benefits the few while a huge majority barely scrape by,” he said.
System favours big parties
Political scientist Wong Chin Huat of Sunway University also cautioned against overestimating the electoral impact of young voters. “Popularity among young adults, and even their large numbers, does not help a new party break through unless it commands overwhelming support, something like 80% or 90%,” he said.
While some young voters may seek an alternative, Wong said they were unlikely to form a decisive bloc in multi-cornered contests dominated by established coalitions due to Malaysia’s first-past-the-post electoral system.
Without institutional reforms such as party-list seats or mayoral elections, he added, a third force would struggle to gain a foothold, regardless of the personalities involved.