Allowing undergraduates to be involved in politics will empower them into playing a more active and constructive role in nation-building, says Gerakan Youth.

Its chief, Oh Tong Keong, said as future leaders of our country, undergraduates must have a say in charting the way forward for Malaysia by taking part in political process.

“Allowing undergraduates to involve in  politics will definitely bring a fresh breath to our country’s political system as most of them are dynamic, energetic and full of ideas to move our country forward,” said Oh, who is also Penang Gerakan Youth chief in a statement.

Oh's remarks echo that of Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, who on Friday said the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) should be amended to allow lecturers and undergraduates to join politics as this would create future leaders of quality.

 

Oh said it is nonsensical to stop undergraduates from being involved in politics on the pretex that they were inexperienced or not mature enough.

 “To deny our local undergraduates from taking part in politics while their overseas counterparts are free to do so is not only unfair but also borders on discrimination ,” he stressed.

Similar calls for undergraduates to joining politics have been expressed by Deputy Higher Education Minister Saifuddin Abdullah.

In the same vein, Gerakan Youth secretary-general Dominic Lau said such a move was essential to moulding university students into being more critical while bridging the gap between them and society.