PUTRAJAYA -The Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) will expand the implementation of the Kuasa Orang Muda (KOM) initiative nationwide to strengthen democratic education among youth as a long-term investment following the implementation of Undi18.
Youth and Sports Minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari said the initiative under the Rakan Muda umbrella aims to increase political literacy, democracy and leadership among youth, thus producing a young generation who are knowledgeable, think critically and are able to make mature and responsible decisions.
"We will tour all IPT (higher education institutions, colleges, go into villages, organise carnivals where our focus and target is young people because it is not a one-off programme and requires several series of programmes. We (will) reap the results after several times or even several years, only then will we see that our first step is a very important step.
"After we implement Vote 18, what we need to do is provide a good platform for young people to be given exposure. Because many young people do not yet know how to vote," he said at a press conference after launching the Month of Friends of Democracy through the KOM initiative here today.
The government began implementing Vote 18 starting January 1, 2022 as decided by the Kuching, Sarawak High Court on Sept 6, 2021.
Mohammed Taufiq said the approach used was easy to understand and all the modules developed were neutral without partisan political elements, instead providing space for youth make choices based on their own understanding.
"We want to cultivate the politics of performance over identity politics. Young people need to choose leaders based on data, facts and performance, not sentiment alone," he said.
Aiming to provide knowledge to young people so that they realised that the direction of the country is in their hands and make responsible choices, the youth said the initiative allows young people's views to be systematically channelled for the consideration of policymakers and policies in national development.
Throughout the Month of Friends of Democracy, various programmes will be held nationwide, with the highlight being the Youth Power Festival x Mega Careers & Study Fair (MCASF) 2026 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) on August 22 and 23, in addition to the KOM Tour Series to higher learning institutions and public hotspots.
The programme also involves Kota Kinabalu Polytechnic, Merlimau Polytechnic, MAHSA University, Pasar Siswa in Pahang, Business Festival at University College MAIWP International (UCMI), Kuala Lumpur and Lorong Belakang in Cyberjaya.
In addition to the physical programme, KOM's digital platform provides e-learning modules related to public policy and local socio-economic information through the portal belajar.kuasaorangmuda.com, in addition to introducing the "Youth Power Voice” component to gather youth aspirations in a structured, inclusive and neutral manner for consideration by policymakers. - BERNAMA