‘Political Awareness Empowers Youth To Shape The Future They Want’

Politician Joshua Woo Sze Zeng is on a mission to encourage youth participation in politics in Malaysia.

The 44-year-old DAP state assemblyman for Pulau Tikus in Penang believes that, to attract young people, politics must be perceived as a constructive and effective process that inspires hope, rather than one dominated by conflict and bickering.

“Youths will engage when politics is both accessible and credible. Our task, as politicians, is to open those doors for them.

“Young people must be empowered with opportunities, exposure and training so that they can understand politics and grow into political leadership,” he told Bernama in an interview recently.

Hailing from Bukit Mertajam, Penang, Woo’s own entry into politics was unplanned and came at the encouragement of his schoolmate Steven Sim Chee Keong, now the Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister as well as MP for Bukit Mertajam.

“I did not come from any political background. None of my family members, nor relatives, were active in politics,” he said, adding that he has no regrets about his decision in 2015 to enter politics full-time.

POLITICAL AWARENESS IMPORTANT

Woo stressed the need for youths to care about politics because it decides many issues that concern them, such as education and jobs, and their future in Malaysia.

“They tend to view such issues as personal concerns and don’t immediately connect them to politics. Once youths realise that these concerns are political at their core, apathy will give way to engagement.”

The DAP State Assemblyman for Pulau Tikus in Penang believes that to attract young people, politics must be seen as a constructive and effective process that provides inspiration and hope. Pix credit Joshua Woo Sze Zeng Facebook page.

He added that political awareness will give youths the power to shape the future they want, “but if they stay disengaged (from politics), others will make those decisions for them.”

He, however, acknowledged that, rather than being indifferent to politics, many youths are simply in a process of discovery—moving from understanding their personal concerns to recognising their political roots, adding that this conclusion was drawn from his own personal journey in politics.

Woo said growing up in Bukit Mertajam, he never planned to be involved in politics. After securing a diploma in business studies at the age of 20, he moved to Hong Kong and later Singapore to work in the hospitality sector before transitioning into sales and marketing.

His first real involvement in politics happened around 2007 to 2008 while he was still working in Singapore, when his schoolmate Sim enlisted him to be a volunteer for DAP.

“I really didn’t know much about DAP at that time, to be honest. Not even the party’s philosophy,” he said.

Then, in 2015, Sim reached out to Woo with an offer to serve as his special officer. (Sim was elected Bukit Mertajam MP in 2013.)

“It wasn’t an easy decision for me to make as I was still working in Singapore then. I was worried that if I accepted the offer, I would be like a fish out of water,” he said.

He said ‘yes’ to the offer.

“So at the age of 33, I relocated to Penang, and seriously started learning about politics,” he said, smiling.

CHARTING POLITICAL JOURNEY

Woo’s political journey got off the ground with his appointment as a councilor at the Seberang Perai Municipal Council in 2016. After serving for two years, and following the 14th general election in 2018, Woo – who also has a Master’s degree in Sustainable Development from Sunway University, as well as a Master of Communication degree from Universiti Sains Malaysia – worked at the DAP headquarters’ communications section.

He thrived in that role, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when his team was kept busy managing the party’s communications, including Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow’s updates on Facebook.

Woo reminded young people not to take politics lightly because it involves their future, such as issues of education and employment.

By 2022, Woo was heading the Corporate Communications Department of Penang Infrastructure Corporation, a state government-linked company, and was also seconded as a special officer to Tanjung Bungah assemblyman Zairil Khir Johari.

The same year, Woo was asked by a senior party leader whether he was ready to be a candidate in the next state election.

“I told the leader, point blank, that I preferred to do work in the background,” he said.

The party leader then replied that it was only logical for Woo to step up if he wanted to fight for a better Malaysia.

“What the leader said stayed with me, so I decided to take the plunge in 2023, when I was asked to stand as a candidate in the Pulau Tikus constituency in the Penang state election.

“Winning the seat made me anxious as being an elected representative was really new and uncharted territory for me,” said Woo, who was born in Pulau Tikus.

He said he set two goals for himself: firstly, to do his best to solve all “solvable problems” in his constituency, and secondly, to go all out to provide as many opportunities as possible to youths through internship programmes and career development pathways.

Woo said the state government also established the Penang Youth Committee (Jawatankuasa Belia Pulau Pinang, JBPP) in April 2022 in each state constituency to engage young people in planning and organising various community activities.

“We recently concluded a pickleball coaching programme. Prior to that, we held a retreat and leadership development training for our committee members. Up next, we’ll be organising a coffee-making workshop, a board game session, and a volunteer initiative at an orphanage,” he said.

Woo also has some advice for youths wishing to be involved in politics.

“Enter politics to serve, not just to succeed. Stay true to your values, but be open to your own inadequacy. Be willing to keep learning. This will help you become the kind of leader Malaysia needs,” he said.