Malaysians will soon have the opportunities to get their voices heard through a series of lectures themed "Rethinking Malaysia in Commemoration of 50 Years of Independence".

The National Young Lawyers Committee of the Malaysian Bar and advocacy group Youth for Change are organising the talks to be held on four consecutive Wednesdays beginning June 13.

The sessions, to be conducted in Bahasa Malaysia and English, will be held at the Bar Council Auditorium located at Leboh Pasar Besar, Kuala Lumpur.

Admission is free and each session will start at 8pm. After a 15-20 minutes' address by the speakers, the floor will be opened to the public.

"We hope to encourage the people to think more critically," said Lee Khai Loon of Youth for Change at a press conference today.

Speakers with prominent backgrounds have been invited to engage the audience in healthy and stimulating debates on several issues facing the country today, he added.

The first lecture will be on the accountability of local city councils, while the second is on Malaysia's development status.

The final two lectures are on the relationship between the media and civil society, and a roundtable for youths on Malaysia's future.

"While all Malaysians are encouraged to attend the lectures, youths are especially welcome because they are in better positions to effect changes," said National Young Lawyers Committee deputy chair HR Dipendra.

Apart from providing the platform for live discussions, the organisers will produce transcripts of the discussions that will be uploaded onto their websites to benefit more members of the public.