A coalition of Malaysian non-governmental organisations focused on child welfare and protection has issued a unified statement condemning the use of children in political campaign activities, specifically referencing materials distributed during the recent Negeri Sembilan state election. The groups have called on all political parties, particularly Pakatan Harapan and the DAP, to immediately cease such practices and commit to child-free campaign strategies for the remainder of the electoral cycle.

The joint letter highlights campaign materials showing children being directed to repeat political slogans and urge voters to support specific candidates. According to the signatory organisations, this practice represents a fundamental misuse of minors for partisan advantage. The groups emphasise that their concerns apply universally to all political entities without exception, and they would voice identical objections to any party engaging in similar conduct, regardless of ideological affiliation or electoral standing.

The legal and ethical foundation for this position draws strength from Malaysia's accession to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1995, a commitment that carries binding international obligations. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has previously determined that when adults manipulate children into speaking scripted messages, place them in situations where they have no genuine choice in what they communicate, or expose them to potential harm through public participation, such conduct fails basic ethical standards. The child protection groups argue that when a young person repeats a political slogan under adult direction, this does not constitute the child exercising their own voice—rather, it represents exploitation of the child's voice by adults pursuing political objectives.

A critical dimension of this concern centres on children's cognitive and developmental capacity to understand campaign contexts. The groups stress that children cannot meaningfully evaluate a government's track record, analyse the substance of policy manifestos, or comprehend the implications of the words they have been instructed to speak. By being asked to endorse political positions they lack the maturity and information to assess independently, children are placed in an ethically indefensible position. Their participation is presented as genuine political engagement when it is, in reality, coerced repetition of adult-determined messaging.

Perhaps most troubling from a long-term perspective is the permanent digital footprint created when children appear in campaign videos and photographs. Unlike adults who choose to participate in political activities, children cannot consent to the lasting consequences of this exposure. Video content circulates indefinitely across digital platforms, remaining searchable and accessible throughout a person's lifetime. A child filmed endorsing a particular party or candidate this week will discover that footage permanently attached to their identity years into adulthood, potentially when their political views have evolved substantially or moved in entirely different directions. This creates a lasting vulnerability to online harassment and abuse that follows political content, exposing minors to risks they cannot anticipate or manage.

The child rights organisations further emphasise that parental permission does not resolve the fundamental ethical violation. While parents may consent to their child's participation in campaign activities, the right to protection belongs to the child themselves, not to their guardians. Parental approval cannot transfer to the child the burden of consequences that will extend into their adult years, potentially when they hold political convictions entirely at odds with the positions they were filmed endorsing as children. This distinction reflects the principle that children's rights are independent of parental discretion in certain domains, particularly those involving exploitation or long-term consequences.

In response, the organisations have made several specific requests of Malaysian political leadership and electoral institutions. They have called on Pakatan Harapan and DAP leadership to withdraw existing campaign materials featuring children and to provide explicit commitments that no children will be utilised in campaign activities for the duration of the electoral campaign. Simultaneously, they have extended this request to all other political parties, requesting identical undertakings regardless of their current or potential electoral performance. This universal approach underscores the groups' insistence that the principle transcends partisan considerations.

The child protection organisations have also appealed to the Election Commission to use this moment as an opportunity to establish clear regulatory guidelines prohibiting the use of children in campaign activities and campaign materials. Importantly, they have proposed that such rules need not prevent children from appearing in ordinary, non-campaigning contexts alongside their parents—a distinction between exploitation and natural family presence. Clear electoral guidelines would provide the Election Commission with enforceable mechanisms to prevent future violations and would establish a transparent standard applying equally to all contestants.

The statement concludes with a broader reflection on the ethical responsibilities that accompany political office and power. The organisations argue that those holding positions of leadership and authority bear a special duty to establish and maintain high standards of conduct, rather than merely testing the boundaries of what remains technically unproscribed. Power, according to this reasoning, carries an inherent obligation to set examples that transcend minimal legal compliance. Political leaders should voluntarily adopt ethical practices that protect vulnerable populations, not simply avoid conduct that existing regulations explicitly forbid.

The underlying message reflects growing international and regional concern about the politicisation of childhood and the instrumentalisation of minors in partisan contexts. As Southeast Asian democracies mature and electoral practices become more sophisticated, questions about where to draw lines between legitimate political participation and inappropriate exploitation become increasingly urgent. Malaysia's substantial youth population and rapidly evolving digital landscape make this issue particularly relevant to the country's ongoing democratic development and the protection of its youngest citizens.