Mujibu Abd Muis of Universiti Teknologi Mara said the age limit for candidates should be set at 60. Candidates should also undergo a health check to avoid having to call any by-elections later on.

Mujibu was commenting on the decision of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is 97, to seek re-election at the coming general election.

He acknowledged that parties in power will want to choose candidates according to the party’s needs.

Mahathir, who leads the Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) coalition, announced today he would defend his Langkawi parliamentary seat.

However, Mujibu said Mahathir’s decision was “unhealthy” for democracy in the long run.

“It is a step back because we have opened up the political arena to the youth through Undi18 and automatic voter registration,” he told FMT.

He also said it showed that personality politics was very much alive in Malaysia as big names could attract votes and that the country was still far off from seeing so-called new politics.

Another analyst, Sivamurugan Pandian said Mahathir had won in 2018 and become prime minister again even though some had said he was no longer relevant.

He did not see an issue in GTA putting up Mahathir as a candidate because of his vast experience.

Sivamurugan said he did not agree with calls for age limits for candidates as it went against the principles of democracy and representation for different age groups.

“The era of mature politics is not tied to age, but a person’s credibility and ability to lead, be it young or old.”