Various programmes to prepare youth for Undi18: Faizal

KUALA LUMPUR – The Youth and Sports Ministry is implementing various programmes to prepare the young people for the implementation of Undi18.

Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu said the ministry is concerned and realise the need to make the young people understand and realise their voting rights.

He said the initiatives implemented, included the Rukun Negara @Belia programme.

“The main aim of the programme is to give awareness to the youth on their responsibility as voters, now that the voting age has been reduced to 18, and also to increase their knowledge on politics,” he said during the question-and-answer session in Dewan Negara.

He was responding to a question from Senator Khairil Nizam Khirudin who wanted to know programmes carried out by the ministry to prepare the youths, especially on their voting right, to make them more sensitive, alert and participate in the country’s democratic politics.

Faizal said some 114 face-to-face and online Rukun Negara @Belia programmes had been planned this year, and as of last September 15, 87 of the programmes had been implemented, involving the participation of 55,696 people.

Apart from that, he said, to ensure continuous education and awareness, the ministry, through the Youth and Sports Department, had formulated a political literacy campaign which is aimed at providing awareness and understanding, especially to the youth who will be voting for the first time.

“The ministry has also produced a short video, Etos Anak Muda, which is aimed at providing information, strengthening understanding regarding Malaysia, which practices parliamentary democracy under the administration of a constitutional monarch.

“Another programme is the online Rakan Muda Klik, which is implemented in the form of quizzes on aspects of nationhood, patriotism, politics and governance. It aims to increase the knowledge of the young generation towards transforming the values ​​of democracy, general knowledge and nationhood, as well as enhance their spirit of nationhood and self-identity,” he added. – Bernama, October 5, 2021