SHAH ALAM - Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) is doubling down on efforts to strengthen youth participation in politics, emphasising that the voices of young Malaysians must shape the nation’s future.
PKR Youth strategic director Mohammad Syamil Lutfi said the movement recognised a growing phenomenon among young Malaysians who were disillusioned with mainstream politics, a sentiment he described as a fact that can no longer be ignored.
"Many youngsters today see politics as self-serving or stagnant. But what we’re trying to do is enlighten them, to show how policy decisions affect their future and the country’s direction," he told Sinar Daily.
He said the party's youth wing has been working to bridge this gap by engaging young voters through targeted initiatives and leadership opportunities within the party.
"We’ve created many programmes that are suitable for youths, not just talks, but interactive platforms that match their energy and interests," he added.
Syamil noted that PKR has long institutionalised youth involvement in its political framework, ensuring that young candidates were given the opportunity to contest and lead.
He said since the early days, PKR has had this policy that at least one of its election candidates must come from the youth wing.
"We’re now pushing for more than 30 per cent of candidates to be from the younger generation. Those who have contested multiple times should give way to new faces," he said.
He also revealed that the youth wing has been actively developing a concept paper under its Bureau of Malaysian Youth Affairs, which invites component parties within Pakatan Harapan to collaborate on youth empowerment strategies.