He said a low voter turnout might result in Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) clinching victory the same way they won the recent Melaka and Johor state polls.

“I hope the youths will come out to vote to make a change, whatever obstacles stand in their way, be it rain or floods,” the Bersatu leader told FMT.

“My research has shown that Umno and BN’s strategy is to hold elections when there is a chance of a low voter turnout, just like in Melaka and Johor.”

Redzuan said it was important for all Malaysians to use their voice, through the ballot box, to put Malaysia back on the right track.

The entrepreneur development and cooperatives minister in the former Perikatan Nasional government had previously said that young voters would be the deciding factor in GE15.

GE15 will be the first since the implementation of the Undi18 initiative and automatic voter registration. This has added 5.8 million new voters to the rolls, a 40% increase.

Redzuan noted that the dissolution of Parliament by caretaker Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob ahead of the monsoon season was burdensome on the people.

“If we look at the weather forecast, will the people come out to vote? If they do, will it represent the majority?” he asked.

He said issues like the 1MDB scandal, corruption and abuse of power by certain leaders can no longer be used to push for a “tsunami” like in the 2018 general election.

“Previously, it was the 1MDB tsunami. This time around, there needs to be a tsunami of progress,” he said, adding that the people were looking for a different narrative.

“They want to see what PN can bring to the table to bring the nation forward. The youths today are asking ‘What does the future hold for us?’, ‘Can I get a scholarship?’ and ‘How can I upskill myself?’ These are issues that PN must focus on.”