KUALA LUMPUR: The election for Youth Parliament members, slated for March next year, will be held in a new and improved format, said Tan Sri Johari Abdul.
The Dewan Rakyat Speaker said among changes made were to make the selection system similar to that of a general election, and that the representatives would be chosen from public and private higher education institutions nationwide.
"We are making some adjustments, there will be a new format.
"Currently, we are engaging with universities to look at how we can expand from having 100 representatives to 222, so each constituency will have one youth parliamentarian."
He said this at a press conference after opening the Third Malaysian Parliament Symposium, held at the Parliament building here, today.
Johari said the Youth Parliament was a "launching pad" for the younger generation to move into politics.
"We're hoping that this can be like a training school," he added.
He also said political parties must also play their part and hold training programmes to shape future leaders.
The symposium, themed 'Parliament: The Backbone of Check and Balance', was also attended by Dewan Negara Deputy Speaker Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed and Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Datuk Dr Ramli Mohd Nor.
Johari said the event would allow agencies, non-governmental organisations and the public to voice opinions on how Parliament was being run.
"Parliament convenes three times a year, and many things happen (during that period).
"So we must get feedback on how we can improve or upgrade performance, not just as an institution but also the quality of debates in Parliament, and the best way is through a symposium.
"You cannot do the same thing expecting different results, and so (with this), our messages to the public is yes, we have a plan," he said.