PM: Govt prioritises youth development

By Bernama - July 9, 2020 @ 7:00am

PUTRAJAYA: THE development of the younger generation in all aspects, including in the area of human capital, is a priority of the government, said Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

He said the government viewed youth as the generation that could ensure continuity in the country's development and should be involved in the policy development process.

In realising this aspiration, leadership skills were among the key competencies that needed to be developed in the implementation of youth development programmes, he added.

"Every youth should possess good leadership qualities. At the very least, youth should be able to lead themselves.

"Youth who are capable of leading themselves would not only stay clear of unhealthy activities, but also become patriotic citizens who can contribute to society with a keen sense of the social and volunteer service culture," he said at the presentation of this year's Perdana Fellows here yesterday.

This year's Perdana Fellows programme involved 82 youth, comprising 58 graduates and 24 undergraduates.

About 42 per cent of the participants are from the Bottom 40 per cent families.

Muhyiddin said the priority of participation in this year's programme was given to graduates, who comprised 70 per cent of the participants.

"I would like to extend the highest congratulations to all participants. You have been selected from among 637 people who applied to join this programme and 298 who applied to the Corporate Fellows," he said.

Muhyiddin said Perdana Fellows were like unofficial spokesmen of the government.

"I urge you to be the bridge between the government and youth, especially in presenting facts and government policies in the fight against Covid-19 and efforts to revive the national economy in the post-pandemic era."

Muhyiddin recalled the year Perdana Fellows was introduced in 2013, saying he had received the first batch and that all the alumni under his supervision had now joined the private and government sectors, with some having furthered their studies until the doctorate level at leading universities of the world.

He said he had occasionally met them to get their views and input, especially on how the government could help youth.

He said apart from leadership qualities, youth development programmes should also emphasise soft skills, like management abilities, communication and interpersonal skills, as well as problem-solving abilities.

He said every skill set should be enhanced with value-added knowledge according to their fields of experience and interest.

"Make use of this opportunity to learn as much as you can and share the expertise with your friends out there who may not be lucky enough to be selected to join this high-level youth leadership training programme."

He advised ministers involved to train fellows like their own children, giving them guidance and setting good examples throughout the attachment period, which would prove invaluable to the interns.

He said ministers should be open to suggestions from the young trainees and treat their input as part of the process of formulating new policies.

He said a fellow, apart from gaining experience as an executive intern, was also responsible for preparing and tabling policy proposal papers related to the ministries they were attached to.

"These policy papers can be used as an input for drawing up new initiatives at the ministry level," he said, adding that a policy paper based on an idea of a 2019 Perdana Fellows participant had given birth to a biodiesel programme for the transport sector.

The Biodiesel B20 programme, launched in February this year, had boosted the domestic demand for palm oil and would be continued under the new administration, he added.

He said the Perdana Fellows programme had been fruitful as some of its participants had become ministers, been actively involved in politics and non-governmental organisations, become operators of business startups, and served as special officers to ministers.

"The fact is that this programme is the best platform for the selected youth to hone their leadership skills and prepare themselves for the challenges ahead.

"Participants will have a personal experience of how the government machinery draws up new policies and make administrative decisions that affect people, putting them in a good position to explain the procedures to the public, especially the younger generation."

He hoped that Perdana Fellows participants would use the opportunity to deepen their experience and knowledge, especially on the government administrative process and corporate matters.

"My hope is that the selected youths, who are the country's prospective leaders, would use the occasion to show their abilities and qualities as such an opportunity might not come again. -- Bernama