SHAH ALAM, July 1 — At this year’s Selangor Youth Assembly, representatives were allowed to decide which motions to table for debate, with these proposals potentially going up to the Selangor State Legislative Assembly level.
Selangor Speaker Lau Weng San said that for the first time, the young representatives voted on motions without the organisers’ input, ensuring issues tabled are truly in youth’s interests.
“There are elements of democracy because they’re not merely aware of debate topics, but are using their right to choose motions to debate,” he said after officiating the Selangor Youth Assembly at the Selangor State Legislative Assembly building here today.
He added that the young assemblymen chose four motions — community living, mobility, awareness of the law, and mental health — which are among issues most pertinent to Selangor youth.
Lau said motions that receive the most support will be debated by the youth representatives and could be considered by the state government.
He also said the Selangor Youth Assembly is a prestigious platform that often sparks wider debate in the community, while motions tabled could garner feedback from the Selangor government when escalated to state assemblymen.
“Even though participants aren’t elected, the issues they bring up could be deemed representative of the voices and concerns of youth in Selangor,” he added.
Meanwhile, Lau said this year’s youth assembly received 232 applications, with only 56 representatives selected.
He explained that the youth assemblymen this year includes one person with disability, who has a nerve condition, while the female participation rate is 29 per cent.
He expressed hope that the two-day programme would polish participants’ skills and produce more dependable young leaders in the future.
The Selangor Youth Assembly, which was launched in 2014, was on hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic but came back in 2024.
