A group of young Malaysians recently participated in the Youth Parliamentary Debathon, an event that allows them to experience a day in the life of an MP.
It was truly a momentous event to see the youths exchange their views and cabinet ministers who shared their words of wisdom with these aspiring activists and potential lawmakers.
For the second motion on Malaysia for Sustainable Forest Management over Zero-Deforestation, it was chaired by YB Puan Syerleena Abdul Rashid, Member of Parliament Bukit Bendera.
From the government bench, Benteny Ooi Si Quan said that sustainable forest management would be more effective in combating climate change and flash floods over a zero-deforestation approach.
“Because timber and oil palm are among the important exports that contribute to the huge GDP in the country, the government has proposed to implement a mandatory replenishment and replantation initiative that companies have to abide by. The ratio would be if: 1 forest is chopped down, 3 trees have to be replanted back.” said Bentany who took home the trophy as best speaker.
The opposition’s Shameera Nasreen countered back by saying despite the government’s claim, flash floods and landslides still occur on a yearly basis. It also causes the country billions of ringgit to manage. Overall the opposition team suggested a 1 year grace period before all logging activities were to be stopped completely.
The victory went to the opposition for this round. Teresa Kok, Member of Parliament Seputeh commended both the benches on their opinion on how to tackle a genuine national issue in the country. She further gave the audience a full overview of Malaysia's land usage and even pointed out the flaws found in both the government and opposition's arguments as well as what they should improve on.
Cultivating Malaysia’s Timber Sustainably
According to Sabrina Mawasi, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Malaysian Timber Certification Council, the timber industry is the third largest contributor to the agri commodity sector after oil palm and rubber. However it faces numerous challenges that are influenced by economy, politics, climate change and shortage of raw material. Hence, certifications such as the Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) play a critical role in ensuring the sustainable management of Malaysia’s natural forest and forest plantations, as well as to meet the demand for certified timber products.
Co-hosted by Malaysiakini and KiniEvents this marks the third year of the Youth Parliamentary Debathon.
This session is brought to you by Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) and Event Partners include The Body Shop Malaysia as Changemaker Partner, and Taylor’s College as the Youth Empowerment Partner, supported by Parlimen Malaysia, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Experiential Design Team (EDT) as the Metaverse Partner, Malaysian Institute of Debate and Public Speaking (MIDP) as the Soft Skills Training partner, as well as co-partners; Institutes of Research and Development of Policy (IRDP), Malaysian Youth Association for Diplomacy and Policy (MYADP), UNDI Sabah, The Risers, The Malaysian Hub, Majlis Belia Malaysia (MBM), Persatuan Kebangsaan Pelajar Islam Malaysia (PKPIM), IIUM Student Union, Kesatuan Mahasiswa Universiti Malaya, Angkatan Mahasiswa UM, Suara Siswa Universiti Malaya, Gabungan Pelajar Pelajar Melayu Semenanjung (GPMS) and Taylor's University Student Council.
If you missed viewing the parliamentary simulation last weekend, you can watch the replay HERE.
