IN conjunction with International Youth Day recently, the prime minister announced that he will set up a special team comprising young people to advise him on national issues, and a special youth representative will sit in on Dewan Rakyat proceedings.

Youth participation in decision-making is always welcome, but one can’t help but note the irony that Perikatan Nasional, when ousting Pakatan Harapan from Putrajaya, also drove young people out of the cabinet. Foremost was Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, whose appointment at 25 made him Malaysia’s youngest-ever minister.

Are advisory and window-dressing posts really what youth need? Do these not just create more glass ceilings for them to break and further pigeonhole them in “tame” roles? Young people these days are better-informed, and have at their disposal numerous tools and platforms, and accordingly, an audience. They’re also generally bolder than previous generations.

They try to cut through the noise, creating avenues such as Parlimen Digital to air their grouses, and form real-life connections that intersect with decision-making bodies so that action can be taken immediately, without having to filter their message through the multiple layers of censorship that are part and parcel of official “engagement”. Even the outlets created especially for them to engage the government often have an archaic structure, designed by those born of a system that stifles creativity and dynamism.

Arguably, there’s no need for a “special” allocation for youth. Instead, they should be genuinely integrated into the country’s politics. They bring with them idealism and vigour, and boost their parties’ image among young citizens – not unlike what Khairy Jamaluddin did for Umno Youth for the better part of the last decade. PH parties, especially, have increasingly taken a chance on young candidates. Just look at DAP with its MPs and assemblymen in their 20s and 30s.

Youth representation has noticeably grown in Parliament and state assemblies from three or four terms ago, and these elected representatives are performing quite admirably. Given their age, their teams, too, tend to be on the young side. The service centre for the Kg Tunku state seat, for example, is staffed mostly by youth, and the events they organise are fresh and community-oriented, with a smaller focus on politics.

This makes more young Malaysians interested in the political process, as they’re not confronted right off the bat with horse-trading, party warlords, racial-religious narratives and other unappealing elements. It creates a simplified ecosystem that youth can plug into without having to jump through hoops and spend years building up a base and rising through the ranks to have their voice heard. Such hurdles are off-putting to a generation accustomed to straightaway sharing their opinions on social media and getting feedback even before the topic in question is reported in the evening news.

A win-win situation arises: the grassroots benefit from the youthful energy brought into their parties, while young members get to quickly learn from their experienced seniors. Beyond parties, there should also be youth representation in local governments.

Jobs are another area in which youth must be heard. With a growing number of young people in the gig economy, there’s a need to understand how they wish to be managed and their plans moving forward. Organisations can offer mentorship programmes that fast-track career progression and produce more young icons in corporate Malaysia. This is a better use of funds than, say, making political appointments to government-linked companies. Not to mention, promoting young talent will help hinder the brain drain and lower the country’s youth unemployment rate.

Yet another platform isn’t what youth desire or require. Rather, room should be made for them in the existing decision-making space. – August 19, 2020.

* Emmanuel Joseph firmly believes that Klang is the best place on Earth, and that motivated people can do far more good than any leader with motive.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.