IN the aftermath of the most fiercely contested general election in the history of Malaysia, hope has sprung from an unlikely source – the youth of the nation.

It’s not only because we had one of the largest turnouts ever in terms of young voters (there were 2.6 million first-time voters), but also because of the passion and concern this generation has demonstrated throughout GE13. Five years ago, young Malaysians were still being accused of being apathetic towards politics, after statistics showed they made up 70% of those who were eligible but not registered to vote. That is so not the case this time around.

And now, after the dust has settled, it is once again the youth who have been rising up to spread messages of empowerment, patriotism and, perhaps most importantly, unity.

Here’s what some of them had to say about this new political awakening among young Malaysians, and their plans to keep it growing.

Amelia Tan, 27, investment banker

Two weeks ago, Tan wrote a Facebook note in response to a friend who had posted something she found politically incorrect. The note quickly went viral, getting close to 12,000 shares and drawing comments from thousands of fellow Malaysians.

“Five years ago, when I posted about politics on social media, I got complaints from my friends saying I was being too political. Some even wanted to ‘unfriend’ me. Now everybody is uploading posters and sharing opinions. Politics used to be something boring, but now it’s exciting. The young people have been inspired, and they believe they have a voice.

“I think my post went viral because young people are more aware now; they are more mature and they respond to opinions. My friend actually replied. She didn’t change her opinion, but at least we were having discourse without being angry, and that gave me a lot of hope.

“Young Malaysians now need to stay aware. Read and observe more. Don’t lose interest.”

Kevin Bathman, 37,  spokesperson for Jom Balik Undi

They say every vote counts, which is precisely why the Jom Balik Undi campaign wanted to encourage some of the 1.5 million Malaysians living abroad to return to vote.

The campaign used short documentaries, testimonies, articles, and even information on flight prices to encourage Malaysians to come home for GE13.

“With 2.6 million new voters for GE13, the young people are an amazing force to be reckoned with. They were fully engaged, and it was encouraging to see so many of them getting involved for the future of the country.

“Numerous videos, blogs and articles were written by young people and they all played an important role in engaging their age group.”

Mohd Amirul Mohd Safuwan, 22, student, election volunteer

Apart from speaking up on social media and running campaigns, many young people this year also got involved in the general election by volunteering as polling agents, like Amirul.

“I think the young generation has now gained much awareness about their country, hence they want to contribute directly or indirectly during the GE. It’s good to see their involvement. Many of my friends volunteered (to be polling agents), and I joined them to help, which was the least I could do.

“The main problem I realised about this GE is the ignorance of some people. I know lots of people who are eligible to vote, but still did not register. Despite the increasing awareness, this group of people is still, you know, lepak lah.”

Eng Ying Hang and David Yong, 20, founders of under21malaysians.com

For those who were too young to vote, Eng and Yong started the Under 21 Malaysian (U21M) website, which allows those below 21 the chance to cast their vote in an unofficial online poll. The following is a joint email statement from the duo:

“We started this platform for all youths to voice out what they want. This year, compared to the years before, we have seen youth opinions pouring into social media, as they feel a sense of security there.

“The idea of U21M was to direct these discussions to be more objective. We want the young people to no longer be polarised by issues such as racial differences. They should focus on political issues such as keeping to the manifesto and making elected candidates accountable for what they have promised.”

Ali Alasri, 20, performing arts and media student

The “Malaysian Spring” campaign started from a hangout session among a few friends in the creative industry. They wanted a visual campaign that could signify hope for a better Malaysia, and decided on encouraging people to use recycled fabrics to make small flags of various colours (representing all the different political parties) that would be planted around their neighbourhoods. Ali was one of those who volunteered for the project.

“In total, we made 3,200 flags. We wanted to use the available public space and see how people react to it. More importantly, it was to promote unity among Malaysians. We want to encourage them to not be divided by political parties, but to stand as one and make the country better.”

“A lot of my friends felt the campaign wasn’t going to make a difference, but when I showed them what it was really all about, it became fun and exciting. This year has most definitely been a political awakening for many of them. A lot of them want to be involved, but they have to do their research first. It’s good that they are passionate, but they have to be informed as well.”

Tricia Yeoh, 30, Institute Rakyat research director

Yeoh is a market research consultant and former research officer to Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim. Yeoh recently produced a documentary entitled The Rights Of The Dead that won her the Justin Louis Award at the Freedom Film Fest 2012.

“The young people this time have been very organic by producing their own videos. They are not directly involved with any particular political party but many people are just doing initiatives of their own.

“We also see more young candidates which means that young Malaysians are getting recognition from both sides of the parties which signals the sense for renewal that the young will take over some day.

“It tells that regardless whoever wins, they can’t run the country like in the past and that new politics has taken root for a real change.

“Post GE, I would encourage the young to work along those lines with the existing organisations that they are with now.

“They should continue monitoring the government and make them accountable for what they have promised.”