Youth Parliament Sitting Set To Begin In September - Ahmad Husaini

PEKAN, Feb 7 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Youth Parliament’s first sitting is expected to commence in September this year, following the completion of its election process scheduled for July.

Malaysian Youth Parliament chairman Datuk Dr Ahmad Husaini Abdul Rahman said the Parliament will convene six sittings per term, with each sitting lasting three days.

“The sitting format is almost similar to the actual Parliament, but it will be held on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays as most members are working or still studying,” he told a press conference after the Fifth Series of the Malaysian Youth Parliament Roadshow here today.

Ahmad Husaini, who is also the Parliament’s Chief Administrator, said the Malaysian Youth Parliament Election is expected to adopt an online voting system, with about 100,000 youths expected to register as voters or party members by the end of June.

“So far, there are 12 parties and the number may increase to 13 by the end of this month. Prior to the election, each party must conduct internal elections, including the selection of its president and leadership lineup, which are expected to take place around April or May,” he said.

Ahmad Husaini said the election process will be based on a proportional representation system through a closed party list.

“Under this system, the contest is between parties rather than individuals. Each party must register in the system and submit a list of candidates according to the existing number of parliamentary seats, which is 222 nationwide, by state,” he said

He said the allocation of seats will be based on the popular vote rather than direct constituency wins, subject to a five per cent eligibility threshold, where any party obtaining less than five per cent of the votes will not be entitled to any seats.

Meanwhile, he said the Youth Parliament will focus on youth-related motions before they are debated and subsequently brought to the Special Select Committees in the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara.

“The main objective of the Youth Parliament is to ensure that youth issues are raised and given serious attention, as the voices of young people are crucial to the nation’s future,” he added.

-- BERNAMA