BANGI, Nov 5 — Any decisions and resolutions passed by the Youth Parliament will not be left idle but will instead be brought to Parliament through a select committee, said Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul.
He said the move will ensure views and ideas raised by Youth Parliament representatives are translated into policy proposals and genuine discussion in the Dewan Rakyat.
“Any decision they make will be brought to the real Parliament through a select committee. This means their ideas will not be forgotten,” Johari told reporters here today after attending the Youth Parliament Town Hall, which gathered about 250 student leaders from public and private universities as well as non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
He said the town hall, which introduces a new format for the Youth Parliament, is an incubator to train leaders aged between 18 and 30 to understand the objectives of leadership and their responsibilities to society.
Among the new elements introduced are collaborative training through seven simulated political parties and exposure to the proportional representation electoral system, replacing the previous individual-based approach.
Johari said early exposure to the political system and leadership values is vital to ensure youth are guided along the right path to becoming capable future leaders.
“If we don’t do this, I believe we won’t achieve our aspiration of becoming a great nation in the future. Other countries have already done it, but we are somewhat behind,” he said.
He also expressed hope that the programme would enhance young people’s understanding of the country’s democratic process, noting that the original objectives of the Youth Parliament when it was established in 2014 were rather limited.
“… With government funding, we hope those who now participate in the Youth Parliament will gain new knowledge, as their understanding of the democratic process was previously quite minimal. Now, we are upgrading it to provide greater exposure,” Johari said.
