KUCHING: The Malaysian Parliament will begin a nationwide engagement tour with public universities and private higher learning institutions (IPTS) to gather input on the implementation of a new format for the Youth Parliament.

Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul said the engagement sessions will also explore the proposed election process for Youth Parliament representatives, with student voices playing a key role in shaping the direction of the initiative.

“For now, the new Youth Parliament format has not been finalised. We are still working on it.

“We will be visiting (public and private) universities to seek their views, such as whether each university should form its own political party, or whether several universities can collaborate to form one,” he told reporters after attending a lecture titled Dari Sarawak ke ASEAN: Mengangkat Aspirasi Belia dalam Arena Serantau at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) here today.

Johari said the final framework for the new format is expected to be concluded by September or October this year.

He added that the election of Youth Parliament representatives is expected to be held in November, while the first meeting of the Youth Parliament, in January or February next year.