PETALING JAYA: A debate between Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and Form Four Seri Puteri school (SSP) student Hasya Atiyah Khairuddin became the highlight of TV3’s Malaysia Hari Ini (MHI) programme this morning.
With the topic being “Raise the voting age limit to 18”, both Syed Saddiq and Hasya Atiyah were given three minutes each to debate.
Syed Saddiq, who delivered his debate in Bahasa Melayu, said that today’s 18-year-olds are mature enough to choose their leaders.
“Furthermore, at 18, youths can get married, sign agreements and even be charged in court,” he said.
Hasya Atiyah, who was part of the SSP team which recently won the Prime Minister’s Cup Debate Competition, put forward the idea that at 18, many youths are still not clear on government policies.
“They are open to exploitation… by political parties which are desperate to gain votes. They can also fall for false narratives peddled on social media,” said Hasya Atiyah, who delivered her debate in fluent English.
After the debate ended, Syed Saddiq praised Hasya Atiyah.
Earlier, when interviewed by MHI host Ally Iskandar Mohd Mardzi, Syed Saddiq said he aims to make debating a culture among the younger generation.
When met after the programme, he further explained that it is crucial for the younger generation to master the art of debating.
“To me, it is one of the skills that we must master, as it will help build our confidence level. Studies conducted by Khazanah Research Institute (KRI) and JobStreet revealed that among the top reasons for unemployment are poor public speaking skills, low self-confidence and lack of English proficiency.
“Our youths must master this so that they will not be left behind. It is okay if we are not fluent and our general knowledge is quite limited at first. The most important thing is that we must have an interest and treat public speaking as a lifestyle or hobby.”
To encourage more youths to take part in discussions, a series of debates will be held at universities across the country every month, he said.
Syed Saddiq himself will take part in the inaugural debate that will be held at International Islamic University of Malaysia’s (IIUM) Cultural Centre on Sept 18 at 8pm.
“We will try with a debate every month and later, once a week. The debate will be on current issues, so that it can be a guide for politics and for people to (decide on different issues).
“This will be interesting. We should no longer just discuss hot button issues on social media or in Parliament. We need more people to take part in the discussion; therefore, debating is the best platform.”
Sharing his personal experience, the Muar MP said he, too, started late in learning how to debate.
“I first started when I was in Form Four. My English at that time was not good. However, with perseverance, I was able to improve and be where I am now,” said Syed Saddiq, who won the Asia Best Speaker award three times in the Asian British Parliamentary (ABP) Debating Championship.