First-time voter and 23-year-old law student, Adly Zulkefly, acknowledges the contradiction of voting for a man who - if elected - will be the oldest living leader in the world.
“Voting for a former Prime Minister who is 92 years old as the next leader might sound ridiculous,” he said. “But if a 92-year-old former premier is willing to change the system?”
Adly is part of a generation of young Malaysians voting for political change in a country that's never had a change of government since independence 60 years ago.
Political analyst Ibrahim Suffian said Malaysia’s young voters have traditionally backed the opposition coalition in greater numbers than the rest of the population and this time would be no different with Dr Mahathir at the helm.
“Young people are concerned about jobs, growth issues and cost of living. Cost of living for ordinary Malaysians is rising, it is the number one issue for young voters,” Mr Suffian told SBS News.
The opposition coalition's election manifesto promises a cost of living subsidy for university students from poor families, as well as scrapping the unpopular goods and services tax.
Mahathir ruled Malaysia with an iron-fist for 22 years before stepping down in 2003.
According to the Malaysian Electoral Commission, around five million Malaysians will cast their vote for the first time, making up around 34 per cent of the total voting population.
After six decades of one-party rule, the movement for change is growing and young Malaysians are at the forefront.
Left: Malaysia Prime Minister and National Front coalition (Barisan Nasional) President Najib Razak and, right, Mahathir Mohamad. Source: AAP
Experts predict the May 9 election will be closely fought and a major test for Prime Minister Najib Razak, who has been embroiled in a multi-billion dollar corruption scandal.
Mr Najib, who has been in power since 2009, was a former protégé of Dr Mahathir, but the two fell out over the corruption scandal. Mahathir quit the ruling party and formed a new party which has teamed up with the opposition coalition.
The corruption scandal involved a Malaysian state investment fund called 1MDB. It's alleged billions of dollars were siphoned from the fund, some of which ended up in Mr Najib's personal bank accounts. Najib has denied any wrongdoing and said the money in his accounts were donations from the Saudi royal family.
Twenty-four-year-old student Faris Aiman Source: Supplied
Malaysia’s traditional forms of media, TV, print and radio are all under strict government censorship through a licensing system. But tech-savvy Malaysians are increasingly getting their news online, which is free from government censorship.
Twenty-four-year-old student Faris Aiman is too young to remember Dr Mahathir’s rule. But he says he believes the former leader has apologised for his past mistakes.
Dr Mahathir has been widely criticised for authoritarian tendencies during his rule, such as arresting political enemies, stifling free press and undermining the judiciary’s independence.
“Everybody is too focused on Mahathir but fail to see there are a lot more independent, intelligent, young people within Pakatan Harapan (the Opposition) that can be the long-term leadership for the country,” Mr Faris said.
But for others, Dr Mahathir’s age matters.
“To be honest, he is too old to be PM, but he did state that if Pakatan Harapan wins he'll only be there for two years. To be frank, how long can he go? He's 93 this year,” first-time voter Adam Eian, 22, said.
The time for change is now or never, says Syahid Abdullah. Source: Supplied
If the opposition wins, Mahathir has promised to only serve for two years until jailed former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim can be released and return to parliament.
Syahid Abdullah, 28, from the government strong-hold state of Negeri Sembilan in south-western mainland Malaysia says that while Mahathir’s age does matter, it’s not a deciding factor.
“I see Mahathir is the hope for the country, it's now or never,” he said.
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