The Youth Parliamentary Debathon debate on the issue of whether Malaysia should implement an official Youth Shadow Cabinet took place on 29 July virtually via 3D metaverse of the Dewan Rakyat. Six astute youth representatives from across the country presented their arguments for or against the motion.

What is a youth shadow cabinet? It is a group of young people who are elected to serve as a symbolic opposition to the government's Cabinet, and whose members shadow or mirror the positions of individual members of the actual Cabinet. Members of the youth shadow cabinet hold regular meetings to discuss current issues and develop policy proposals that they believe would benefit young people and the society as a whole.

As a simulation of Parliament, the debaters were split equally into the government and opposition camps. The debate was moderated by the Parliament “speaker”, a role played by Mayna Patel, Assistant Vice President of Strategy and Programmes at Impact Malaysia, an agency under the purview of Ministry of Youth and Sports tasked to spur youth-driven social impact through a multi-stakeholder working model.

The speakers were given 3 minutes to present their arguments, alternating between the two camps. Following the presentation of each speaker was a 7-minute Q&A/rebuttal session where debaters from the opposing team could raise questions and/or challenge anything mentioned in the presentation, and the speaker or their fellow team members could respond to clarify and/or defend; the time limit was 1 minute for each challenge and/or respond.

The government team argued that as the youths are not proportionately represented, the ever-evolving needs of the youths are being neglected. The youths are the nation’s future leaders and an official youth shadow cabinet would give the youths a voice today to help chart a more inclusive future, not just on behalf of the youths. The youth shadow cabinet would serve as a check and balance on the government’s powers, and advocate for necessary changes.

The opposition team maintained that implementing an official youth shadow cabinet is an incompetent means to empower youths in policymaking; there are better alternatives that are more cost-efficient and the resources that would be otherwise spent here would be better used elsewhere. Youths in Malaysia first need better political literacy. The team suggested that the government should instead work on mentorship programmes and collaborate with youth organisations and NGOs. The opposition queried whether a youth shadow cabinet, run by young people, would have the experience, maturity and wisdom to be efficient check and balance.

The opposition team also brought up the issue of cost in running elections to elect the members of this shadow cabinet. The government team pointed out that there is already an existing Youth Parliament of Malaysia where members of the Youth Shadow Cabinet would be elected from. They also argued that the youths of today have the maturity of mind and can effect positive changes. The issue of cost over benefit was argued at length by the two teams.

It was heartening to see the debaters passionately engaged, and quick on their toes with valid points to counter the challenges of the opposing team. Watch a replay of the debate here.

However, there can only be one award for the Best Debater, picked by a panel of judges that include Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Adam Adli, and UMNO Youth Permanent Chairperson Wan Agyl Wan Hassan. The accolade went to 20-year-old Addisesan Nair Vasu Davan from Suara Siswa Universiti Malaya; he spoke for the government camp.

The title of Most Popular Debater is still up for grabs – you can vote for your favourite debater here . You can also vote for or against the statement of each debater on the issue of Youth Shadow Cabinet. The debater whose statement receives the most “agree” would also win a prize. The polls will close on 29 August. Head on over and cast your votes!

Besides Addisesan (the first debater), the other debaters (in order of appearance) were Abishek Prasad A/L Mahendan (Suara Siswa Universiti Malaya), Nur Iwani Bt Kamal Noor (UKS Negeri Pahang), Adam Syukran bin Mohd Azahari (Management & Science University), Muhammad Khumaidi bin Abdullah (Persatuan Kebangsaan Pelajar Islam Malaysia, PKPIM), and Shameera Nasreen Binti Ahamed Noordeen (Majlis Belia India Malaysia Pulau Pinang).

Meanwhile, all the issues and suggestions presented by the debaters will be documented and submitted to the relevant ministries.

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 legislators. The Debathon series aims to improve political literacy among Malaysian youths and to encourage more active involvement in policymaking. This event provides the platform for youths to share their views and suggestions in regards to the current laws and policies in Malaysia.

Through this programme, the youths have the opportunity to increase their awareness and knowledge of the law-making process, while being exposed to the rules, procedures and ethics that need to be adhered to in every parliamentary proceeding. The YPD series was also held in 2019 and 2022.

The 2023 Youth Parliamentary Debathon is organised by Malaysiakini, and KiniEvents. Event Partners include The Body Shop Malaysia as Changemaker Partner, and Taylor’s College as the Youth Empowerment Partner, supported by the 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, UndiSabah, Undi18, The Risers, Institutes of Research and Development of Policy (IRDP), and Malaysian Youth Association for Diplomacy and Policy (MYADP).