Youths voice out their views overzealously on Malaysia’s voting system

PETALING JAYA, 21 July 2022: The pilot episode of Parliamentary Debathon 2022 was aired on the 16th of July 2022 and it was truly remarkable. The topic of “Why Are The Youths Not Voting?'' was debated heatedly by 10 debaters from all over Malaysia. The session was moderated by the Chairperson of Bersih, Mr. Thomas Fann.

Organised by Malaysiakini and KiniEvents, the Parliamentary Debathon 2022 is joined by our partners, European Union as Collaborative Partner, Bersih as Strategic Partner and Taylor’s College as the Youth Empowerment Partner. 

This event is also supported by our Co-Partners, Malaysian Institute of Debaters and Public Speaking (MIDP), UndiSabah, Undi18, Impact Malaysia, The Risers, and Institute for Research and Development of Policy (IRDP). Last but not least, our Media Partners which are KiniTV, World of Buzz and Cilisos Media. 

The debaters who participated in this session were aged 16 to 25 years old and they have highlighted many issues that are faced by the youths when it comes to voting for the elections such as accessibility issues to be present at polling stations by some unfortunate citizens and how youths are unhappy with ‘career politicians’ who are not giving chances to younger candidates. 

On top of these issues, the debaters have also proposed suggestions that can combat the issues of low voter turnout and also to encourage youths to be more involved in the political arena. The statements by the debaters are still votable until the 15th of August 2022. 

Alka Kaur Sandu, a 21 years old student from Universiti Sains Malaysia was awarded the Best Debater for this pilot session. She was deemed outstanding by the panel of judges.

The Best Debater was selected by representatives of the organiser and the partners. The panel of judges were Chandran Ravi, Chief Operations Officer of Malaysiakini, Norman Goh, Press and Information Officer of European Union, Mr. Mohd Muttaqin, Programme Director of Foundation of Business from Taylor’s College, and Miss Emellia Sharrif, Chief Executive Officer of MIDP.

The judges collectively agreed that young debaters had some good pointers such as the youths have scant faith in our voting system. Not only that, the debaters also highlighted where young voters feel they are always sidelined as there is no inclusiveness for the youths when dicing on policies. A few debaters suggested for SPRM to do house calls in order to encourage young voters and educate on the benefits of voting during elections. 

“Our debaters this year are extremely well informed on what is going on in Malaysia now. They want to be involved but they do not feel welcome. They want to see changes but they also have no confidence especially with the current politicians and rule makers.” Chandran Ravi, COO of Malaysiakini said. 

The Most Popular Debater Award winner will be announced on 15th August 2022 and you can also vote for the debater’s statements and also your favourite debaters now!

Recruitment to participate as a debater for the 2nd virtual session of Youth Parliamentary Debathon is now OPEN and all submissions must reach the organiser by 28th July 2022 (Thursday). No payment is required for the submissions.

We look forward to receiving your entries and don’t miss out on the golden opportunity to debate as Member of Parliaments yourself! 

About Youth Parliamentary Debathon

The Youth Parliamentary Debathon series aims to empower youths aged 16-25, and discusses important issues in Malaysia through a parliamentary simulation where participants will play the role of parliamentarians. Through this program, the youths have the opportunity to increase their awareness and knowledge of the law-making process, thus exposing them to the rules, procedures and ethics that need to be adhered to in every parliamentary proceedings. Visit the website to find out more!

The 2022 Youth Parliamentary Debathon is organised by Malaysiakini, KiniTV and KiniEvents. Event Partners include the European Union, Bersih, Taylor’s College, Malaysian Institute of Debaters and Public Speaking (MIDP), UndiSabah, Undi18, Impact Malaysia, The Risers, and Institute for Research and Development of Policy (IRDP), KiniTV, World of Buzz, and Cilisos Media. To find out more about partnership opportunities with Parliamentary Debathon 2022, please email us at [email protected]