If you’re young, love watching Parliament debates and have your own ideas for policies the Government should implement, then listen up.
Thanks to a first-of-its-kind event by the Workers’ Party (WP), you can try your hand at being a Parliamentarian. The WP Policy Challenge 2022 will give youths in Singapore a chance to share their ideas on relevant policy topics under the mentorship of WP members.
Lasting over three rounds, the Challenge will run from 2 Oct to 13 Nov 2022.
For those who’ve always been curious about how Members of Parliament (MPs) prepare their speeches, this is the chance to find out.
The WP Policy Challenge will not only let you roleplay as an MP but also give you a chance to work directly with a WP Parliamentarian.
The challenge, which is open to all Singaporeans aged 40 and below, consists of three rounds:
After Round 1, only 10 entries will make the cut and advance to Round 2.
From there, the top three will enter the finals on 13 Nov, where they’ll have to present and defend their adjournment motion. The public can vote during this round, which will make up 25% of the total score.
WP said in its press release on 28 Sep that the party wants to provide youths with a platform to share their opinions on Singapore’s policies, come up with alternatives, and defend them.
Through the process, they’ll gather feedback from youths, which they may raise in Parliament. Acknowledging the “multi-faceted challenges facing Singapore today”, WP emphasised the importance of listening to voices on the ground:
The Party has always prioritised listening closely, actively and sincerely to feedback from Singaporeans from all walks of life.
Therefore, the policy challenge will serve as another feedback avenue from youths and allow MPs to speak up for them in Parliament.
MP Gerald Giam, who’s serving as a judge on the challenge, said,
As a Parliamentary Opposition party, we appreciate that our role goes beyond critiquing existing policies to providing sound and credible alternative policy ideas. In this spirit, we designed this challenge to give youths a taste of parliamentary work and debate.
He shared the WP’s hope to encourage youths to be “sharp and civic-minded” as well as “resourceful and robust enough to think on their feet and defend their policy ideas”.
Along with Mr Giam, the judging panel will include MP Jamus Lim and Nicole Seah, the Youth Wing President.
Source: Gov.sg on YouTube
Ms Seah noted that many younger Singaporeans are stepping up to voice their concerns over issues. Heartened by this development, she shared WP’s intention to support youths by providing a platform for them to attempt Parliamentary work.
Winners will get the following cash prizes along with WP memorabilia:
Those who’d like to find out more about the challenge can visit WP’s Facebook page. You may also forward any queries to the organising committee at youthwing@wp.sg.
If you have lots of opinions and ideas to share about Singapore’s policies, this is your time to shine.
Who knows? Your thoughts could really make their way to Parliament.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Workers’ Party.
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