SHAH ALAM: Undergraduates should participate and learn about the political developments in the country in the run up to the 13th General Election (GE13), especially when looking at the fact that they too will be the ones deciding the country’s future.
“So we have to provide the opportunity to undergraduates to access the political realm,” said a lecturer with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s (UiTM) Administration and Policy Studies Faculty, Associate Professor Dr Shaharuddin Badaruddin.
“I encourage graduates to hold forums with political parties at their respective institutions to enhance their political maturity,” he said when met by Bernama during a forum entitled “What is There in the General Elections ?” organised by the UiTM’s Law Faculty students recently.
Categorised As Fence Sitters
Meanwhile, a brief study conducted by Bernama at several higher learning institutions in Shah Alam found that some youths have decided to keep away from politics as they felt it is a ‘dirty game’. Yet there were many youths who were keen to keep in touch with the political developments. The head of the Student Council at UiTM, Azraful Azman, 23, when contacted by Bernama voiced his concern when youths categorised as fence sitters ignore the political developments in the country.
“One of the factors why the undergraduates loathe at politics is that it involves more defamatory than good elements,” he said.
If this mindset continues it would effect the future leadership, he added.
Amendments Allow Undergraduates To Take Part
An applied science student Muhammad Adib Akram, 23, felt that the country’s politics have yet to mature with many of the candidates forgetting their responsibilities to the voters after being elected.
“If the politicians are evaluated based on their ability to address issues, the undergraduates could then differentiate between the good and bad in choosing their leader,” he said. — Bernama