Kuala lumpur: The Malaysia Youth Parliament (PBMy) will continue to be strengthened through policy reforms and new systems aimed at nurturing visionary leadership, said Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Dr Johari Abdul. He emphasized that PBMy is a game-changer in youth leadership development in the country, promoting understanding of the parliamentary democratic system and preparing youths for the political and social challenges of the 21st century.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, one of the key reforms under discussion is the alignment of the number of PBMy members to 222, reflecting the number of Members of Parliament in the Dewan Rakyat, to better mirror the actual structure of Parliament. Other proposed reforms include employing a Proportional Representation system through the Closed Party List method for selecting representatives and implementing the entire process online-from voter registration and party formation to voting.

Johari also highlighted a phased strengthening of the leadership training module to prepare PBMy members as future leaders who are dynamic, principled, and resilient. These points were made during the opening of the Malaysia Youth Parliament 2025 Guidebook Workshop. Present at the event were PBMy advisory chairman Tan Sri Borhan Dolah, Malaysian Parliament chief administrator Datuk Ahmad Husaini Abdul Rahman, and 50 participants from various implementing agencies nationwide.

In his speech, Johari referenced an Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) report indicating that only 0.9 per cent of Dewan Rakyat members are under 30, while 12.6 per cent are under 40. He stressed that this situation requires urgent attention through policies and programmes like PBMy. The workshop united diverse stakeholders, including government agencies, academic institutions, and civil society organisations, to draft a guidebook that is authoritative, practical, legally sound, and relevant to current needs.