KUALA LUMPUR - In an effort to foster political awareness and understanding among the youths, Dewan Belia India Malaysia (DBIM) recently organised a guided visit to the Parliament.
The 'Parliament Tour' initiative aimed to familiarise participants with the intricate parliamentary process, enlightening them on the importance of the lawmaking system and the roles of elected representatives.
Deputy Unity Minister Saraswathy Kandasami emphasised the importance of comprehending the electoral process and the subjects discussed during parliamentary debates.
"Youths these days are very alert and they want to strive further in their life.
"My advice to them is to go for the right news, right information and always have the urge to excel in whatever field that they choose and to become a good citizen," she said after leading the tour, yesterday.
She lauded DBIM's initiative where they managed to gather more than 50 students from various universities to participate in the programme.
"The students had a chance to witness Dewan Negara debates, met some Members of Parliament (MPs) and had a great discussion about politics with each other.
"We need many programmes like this to foster political awareness among Indian youths as it is crucial in today's era," she added.
A total of 55 students from Universiti Putra Malaysia, Segi University and Universiti Malaya participated in the tour.
DBIM founder Kiran Raj Sathivel stressed that political discussions should not be a 'taboo', especially among the Indian community.
He also urged youths to look at politics as a career opportunity which could benefit them in many ways.
"I am glad that the students get to have first-hand experience in Parliament.
"This programme would be a benchmark to bring more Indian youths into Parliament and politics with the aim that politics should not be a taboo topic and in fact, politics should be seen as a career," he said.
Commenting further, DBIM co-founder Veena said another Parliament tour (Parliament Tour 2.0) will be organised and will involve a larger number of participants.
"We will be organising Parliament Tour 2.0 soon in a bigger and larger group.
"We will invite the Indian youths to join so that they can get to meet MPs, have discussions and also witness the Dewan Rakyat debates," she said.
Veena further emphasised the importance of enhancing political knowledge, particularly among Indian youths and stressed the need for political awareness to begin at the grassroots level – within homes and families.