Youth Parliament better for young compared to social media

Social media like Facebook are major platforms for the young to air views when they are more savvy about social, national administrative and political issues, as they are easy to access and use. However, how far are they heard via such media by the policy makers and interested parties is the question as compared to the Youth Parliament, an initiative announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak two years ago. Malaysian Youth Council (MBM) deputy president, Muammar Gadafi Jamaluddin says the Youth Parliament and social media are two different platforms but they have an important similarity, namely, giving space for youths to speak out. "Youths tend to favour the social media because they are easy to access, but can their voices impact positively on the nation or is it like dumping salt in to the ocean, or are destructive to the nation, this is the main issue. "It is true that everyone can air his views directly through social media including to the Prime Minister but are these views sound, or capable of doing damage. Through the Youth Parliament, views are debated into something positive for the nation," he said when contacted by Bernama. The Youth Parliament, announced by Najib during the Gathering Of A Million Youths on May 28, 2011, was among six initiatives of the Youth Transformation Laboratory implemented by the Youth and Sport Ministry. MBM is the co-ordinator to the Youth Parliament initiative. Muammar Gadafi says the Youth Parliament is capable of meeting three demands by the generation who are heir to the legacy of the country, namely, their voices are heard, their role is recognised and their abilities and talents be appreciated. One of the mechanisms for the success of the Youth Parliament is the selection of a youth representative in each of the 222 parliamentary areas, aged between 18 and 30, through an online voting system. Youths can register as voters on the website www.parlimenbelia.gov.my. Young Thinkers Youth Organisation president Mohd Rafiq Naizamohideen says the Youth Parliament can foster responsibility among youths on every opinion they express. "It is the attribute they must have as leaders. We will have problems if our future leaders are unwilling to face the consequences of what they say. Youths must know whatever their voices, have an effect to them and, most importantly, to society and nation. "Undeniably, the social media has its advantages, but we see youths voicing out and hiding behind their online masks in the social media. In the social media too, youths are exceedingly free to emotionally express their views, with no control, and this can be destructive," says Mohd Rafiq. He says other than social media, the Youth Parliament is capable of becoming a better platform instead of expressing their views in the streets which can lead rise to violence and bring difficulty to society. Nevertheless, the reality is that the Youth Parliament is not being well-received to the extent on July 10, Youth and Sport Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said it was postponed to early next year to ensure the delegates selected reflected the actual representation of the group. To date, only about 15,000 people have registered as voters of the Youth Parliament. Peninsula Malaysia Malay Students Coalition deputy president Ezaruddin Abd Rahman says the problem of lack of understanding on the importance and mechanism of the Youth Parliament is the main factor why it is not well received. "All quarters must ensure youths at the grass roots level really understand what the Youth Parliament is and the opportunity given to them. This problem is also related to the poor response to being active in association among youths especially those under the age of 30. He says the social media can provide a broader communication space based on two factors, namely, all can speak out and there is no limit to the issues that can be discussed. "The Youth Parliament only allows 222 people to speak out in a session and only certain issues are discussed, but we must realise, although the voice is less, the impact of the 222 voices is very effective compared to the voices on the social media," he says. Ezaruddin said the issues debated at the Youth Parliament should also be made into a policy which can be taken to a higher authority such as the Dewan Rakyat or Dewan Negara to be debated.