Empowering Youth Voices for Malaysia’s Future

SUBANG JAYA, SELANGOR, July 14 — Taylor’s Chinese Broadcasting Club held the first-ever Mandarin political talk titled “YOUNG Political Talks Lab” (《YOUNG说政事》)  at Taylor’s University, featuring guest speaker YB Lee Chean Chung, Member of Parliament for Petaling Jaya.

The event began with an interactive session. YB Lee Chean Chung asked, "What do you think are the main problems currently existing in Malaysia?" The students responded enthusiastically, raising issues such as traffic congestion, corruption, brain drain, and immigration trends. Many also shared their personal experiences in urban commuting and public services. One student mentioned, "Sometimes it's not that we don't care, but we're not sure if our voices are being heard." The conversation also compared Singapore's advantages in administrative efficiency and institutional transparency, triggering more thoughts on national governance.

Furthermore, regarding the future of the Malaysian Chinese community, the students discussed issues such as population aging, declining birth rates, and concerns about cultural inheritance. YB Lee responded, "Each generation has its own challenges. The key is how to choose to face them."

In the "If you were a political figure, what policies would you promote?" segment, the students proposed their visions and propositions, including developing clean energy, strengthening educational equity, and enhancing support for young entrepreneurship, demonstrating diverse and mature public consciousness.

Students raise their hands to engage directly with YB Lee Chean Chung during the session

The question-and-answer session was lively and in-depth, with discussions ranging from political apathy, institutional reform, to freedom of speech and media responsibility. The students' questions were direct and sincere. YB Lee admitted, "Your willingness to ask is a form of participation." He also specially introduced the "Youth Parliament Open Day" initiated by his team, the inter-university political youth camp, and the youth civic engagement programme in collaboration with the University of Hong Kong, encouraging students to step out of the campus and enter the real political space.

At the end of the event, there was a buffet dinner where the students sat around YB Lee, continuing to ask about the process of policy formulation, the threshold for young people to enter politics, and other real-world issues. The entire event concluded in a relaxed yet thought-provoking atmosphere.

Group photo with YB Lee Chean Chung and all participants

As a democratic country, Malaysia's development requires more voices from the young. The politics talk event is not only a knowledge-sharing session but also an opportunity to stimulate public participation awareness, making students realize that politics is not distant; it is in every choice and every voice we make.