Third instalment of Youth Parliamentary Debathon 2023 begins

The third instalment of this year's youth parliamentary debathon, jointly organised by Malaysiakini and KiniEvents, will kick off today in Parliament.

From 9am until 6pm, over 100 youth debaters will be given the chance to partake in the parliamentary simulation, titled The Youth Parliamentary Debathon (YDP) and Gen Z @ The Podium 2023 series, to exchange their views and insights with active politicians to discuss policies in Malaysia.

In this episode, the debaters will be addressing issues on political education, environmentalism, and the cost of living.

Officiated by Raub MP Chow Yu Hui, each session will feature moderated discussions and joint debates among prominent politicians, including Bukit Bendera MP Syerleena Abdul Rashid and Bandar Utama assemblyperson Jamaliah Jamaluddin, among others.

Furthermore, top debaters will win distinguished awards at the conclusion of each session, with Deputy Education Minister Lim Hui Ying and Deputy Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Fuziah Salleh gracing the occasion as award presenters.

On May 27 this year, the inaugural episode of YDP 2023 took place in the Metaverse, utilising the first-ever 3D Dewan Rakyat environment, where ten youths from across the country engaged in a debate centred around parental leave policies.

On July 29, the second instalment of this year's event took place, with the topic of Youth Shadow Cabinet.

The latest event is co-organised by the International Republican Institute as a collaborative partner, MYArline as an airline partner, Experiential Design Team as the Metaverse Partner, and the Malaysian Institute of Debate and Public Speaking as the Soft Skills Training partner.

It is supported by the Parliament and the Youth and Sports Ministry, as well as Undi18, UndiSabah, The Risers, Institutes of Research and Development of Policy, and the Malaysian Youth Association for Diplomacy and Policy as co-partner.

The YPD series debates were also held in 2019 and 2022.