COMMENT | In New York City, 33-year-old democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani just defeated a party insider in the mayoral primary, powered by young, working-class voters who are fed up with a system that ignores their everyday struggles.Mamdani (above) didn鈥檛 just win his base but built bridges, even sweeping traditionally conservative Jewish districts with over 70 percent of the vote. His victory wasn鈥檛 about identity politics. It was about survival.Malaysia is facing its own affordability crisis, yet most political parties cling to the same tired economic playbook.The lesson from NYC is clear: when a candidate speaks boldly about housing, wages, justice, and when that message is rooted in real policy, not public relations, younger voters mobilise. And they don鈥檛 need mainstream permission to do so.