Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh, Salam Sejahtera and Salam Keluarga Malaysia.
1. Alhamdulillah, thanks be to Allah SWT because due to His bounty and grace, we can gather together to celebrate the National Youth Day 2022 or HBN 202 2, themed ‘ This is Our Time ‘.
2. This year’s National Youth Day celebration is very interesting because it is held outside the capital. HBN 2022 chose Tuaran, Sabah which is famous for its resorts and tourist destinations as the location to celebrate Malaysian Family youths from all over the country.
3. Nunu Habar (how are you in Dusun language) and Yanbar (in Bajau Sama language)
4. National Youth Day 2022 is held here to meet the youth’s demand for the National Youth Day celebration to be held outside the hustle and bustle of the city, and the Tuaran, Sabah election can be translated with a large youth presence today.
5. I would like to congratulate the youth of Sabah, Tuaran, and the whole country who are present today. Thank you to the Sabah State Government, especially the YAB Chief Minister of Sabah for the support and encouragement to make the National Youth Day 2022 in Tuaran, Sabah a success this morning.
My dear Malaysian family,
6. National Youth Day is the Government’s recognition of all the efforts and success of all youths who are the backbone in the development of the country and the integrity of the Malaysian Family.
7. Nearly 21.4 percent or the equivalent of seven million out of 32.7 million Malaysians are youths aged between 15 to 30 years, while youths aged 15 to 40 years reach almost 15 million people.
8. Indeed, this figure is very significant, thus influencing every national development plan. Therefore, the aspirations and views of the youth are important for the Government to chart the future direction.
9. What is planned today, will be inherited by the next generation of Malaysian Family youths because ‘Youth is the trigger for the future revolution of the country’.
My dear Malaysian family,
10. As of June 30, a total of 9,766 youth organizations have been registered under the Youth Organizations and Youth Development Act 2007 (Amendment 2019), Act 668. Of the total, 953 are registered in Sabah and in Tuaran alone there are 33 youth organizations.
11. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate among youths aged 15 to 40 years nationwide showed a decrease to 5.3 percent for the first quarter of this year compared to 5.9 percent in the same period last year.
12. This brings the number of unemployed in the first quarter of this year to 585,000 people compared to 627,000 people for the same period last year. This number is expected to continue to decline if we take note and take care of the various initiatives and programs available for youths.
13. Most recently, the Government through the strategic collaboration of the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS), the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry (MAFI) and the Federal Director General of Lands and Mines (JKPTG) has focused more on urban agriculture.
14. This is a strategy to increase the involvement of youths in the agro -food sector in addition to the Young Agropreneur Program.
15. A total of 8,000 young entrepreneurs have received assistance covering grants, funding, as well as short -term courses, technical and financial advisory services.
16. Agro food can provide a lucrative income to its entrepreneurs if it is managed and worked diligently using the latest technology. It can guarantee the quality of production that can be exported to help increase national revenue.
17. Youth involvement in the agro-food sector will be strengthened through the implementation of the Agro Job Fair @ MAHA 2022 program next month which offers 5,000 job opportunities by participating companies.
18. In this regard, I call on interested graduates as well as youths to seize employment opportunities in this program.
My dear Malaysian family,
19. Although the National Youth Day is held at the national level in Tuaran, we still bring the Y-Career segment which is a career opportunity involving 30 companies that offer 1,000 job opportunities for local Malaysian Family youth.
20. Therefore, I recommend that the youths in Tuaran use this opportunity to fill the vacancies offered to ensure a better future.
21. Under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP), all ministries and agencies also provide various programs involving the youth so that they can continue to play a role in the development of the country.
22. The Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (KUSKOP), for example, is implementing the Bank Rakyat UNIpreneur Program which involves 500 students from every 25 public and private universities starting this month.
23. The Young Entrepreneurship Engagement Talent (YOUNITY) program also produces franchise or pre-franchise entrepreneurs under KUSKOP. So far, it has received a total of 26 applications for funding amounting to RM4.31 million until the end of last month.
24. At the same time, KBS has developed the eMYInd System or Malaysian Youth Index, an integrated system that records information on youth development programs to enable the group to obtain information to participate in appropriate programs.
25. In addition, the Malaysia Techlympics Program by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation which I officiated earlier this year is expected to have the participation of one million young people who can cultivate their interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
26. The program is also to dig out young talent as young as 7 years to 30 years in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, code, drones and also the field of technology.
27. To further strengthen the role of the Malaysian Youth Council (MBM) and other youth organizations, the Government has allocated RM5.5 million under the administrative assistance initiative provided they complete the Information to be Provided (MYKD).
28. To date, out of the allocation of RM5 million, 1.5 million has been distributed to youth organizations.
My dear Malaysian family,
29. The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the youth generation into high users of technology and social media until they lead inactive lives.
30. The Malaysian Youth Index 2021 shows that the mental and physical well -being scores of youths are at a moderate level. Thus, it needs to be addressed through youth involvement in sports activities and lifestyle practices.
31. Accordingly, the Malaysia Sports League (MSL), a new cultural initiative for sports especially for youths, is targeting 133,000 participants and 2,232 programs benefiting five million participants nationwide.
My dear Malaysian family,
32. The Government believes that the New Model of Youth Development 2030 which is being drafted by KBS can be realized as the latest agenda to empower the youth element as a national resource and asset.
33. Before I end my speech, once again I would like to congratulate KBS and MBM for successfully organizing the program today.
34. I am informed that KBS has allocated RM1 million to assist the activities of youth associations. For that, I announced an additional allocation of RM1 million to be shared with youth organizations.
35. Secondly, I also discussed with the Honorable Minister of Youth and Sports how important youth is to the country, the voice of youth will be heard by the government and your views are appreciated.
36. To that end, the government agreed to appoint a senator among the youth. I believe that with the presence of youth representatives in the Dewan Negara, the voices of the youth will be heard more.
37. With these words and with the words Bismillahirahmanirrahim, I officiate the National Youth Day 2022 Celebration.
Source: Prime Minister’s Office of Malaysia