TAKING to the podium and delivering a statement is an achievement in itself, what more if the speaker is a youngster.
Four local university students will soon be displaying their ability to discuss and talk about issues that are not just close to their heart but that which they feel need to be addressed urgently.
The four - Ang Hean Leng, Joanne Shireen Fernandez, Siti Salina Mohd Din and Saifuddin Abdul Rahim - have been selected as Malaysia's "ambassadors" to the 5th Hitachi Young Leaders Initiative (HYLI) programme in Singapore from July 29 to August 2.
This year's programme will bring together 24 elite students from various universities within the Asean region, and they will then deliberate on issues under the theme "Asia's Roadmap - Forging Regional Cohesion for Global Advancement".
The objectives of this programme include developing the participants' understanding of regional and global issues, to encourage Asian solidarity through global thinking by bringing focus and attention to potential young leaders in the region and to create a platform for the exchange of views from different perspectives.
The five-day programme includes a two-day forum, three days of closed-door workshops and a community work project.
Besides the four students, Malaysia's delegation also includes The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad group editor-in-chief Tan Sri Abdullah Ahmad, who will deliver a paper entitled The Changing Role of the Media in Asia, and YTL Corporation Berhad managing director Tan Sri Francis Yeoh, who will speak on the sub-theme of Cultivating Entrepreneurial Spirit in Asia.
Despite the weighty subject matters at hand, the young ambassadors are not cringing at the thought of putting their thoughts across, even in the company of distinguished personalities.
Rather, they are excited about the prospect of making their opinions heard as well as finding out what the other participants have to say.
The students will be allowed to focus on one of the three following sub-themes: Cultivating Entrepreneurial Spirit in Asia, The Growing Importance of Corporate Social Responsibility in Asia and The Changing Role of the Media in Asia.
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) final-year human resource management student Siti Salina, 21, confessed that being selected came as a surprise.
"I thought the chance of being selected was remote, and I am grateful for this enormous responsibility of representing not just my university, but also our country."
A member of the student representative council at USM, Siti Salina has chosen to speak on The Changing Role of the Media in Asia. She wants to know more about "the intricacies of the media, knowing how powerful a role the media has in the evolution of society and the shaping of future generations."
Saifuddin Abdul Rahim, 22, who is pursuing Technology Management with a major in International Business, will also speak on the sub-theme The Changing Role of the Media in Asia.
"The Asian financial crisis and last year's September 11 tragedy prompted me to want to study the changes that take place in the media. I am interested to know how the media contributes to the events that take place in the world."
Final-year Universiti Malaya law student Ang Hean Leng, 24, is an old hand when it comes to representing Malaysia for debates and discussions. Now he is just as excited about attending the HYLI programme. His topic of discussion is Cultivating Entrepreneurial Spirit in Asia.
"I liked all the three sub-themes, but I decided to talk on the subject of entrepreneurial spirit because I would like to raise the idea of imposing corporate social responsibility on the corporate entities, though this should be done voluntarily and not under legal obligation," he said.
Ang also hopes to play his part in encouraging Malaysians to open up and discuss things.
"At present, we are not discussing issues as openly as we should. I can come back and encourage my juniors to participate in the open discussion culture, which is essential to a country's progress," he said.
Joanne Shireen Fernandez, 23, feels that corporate social responsibility in Malaysia needs to be revised, especially when it comes to paying attention to the youths, who represent the future market in the business world.
Although she admitted to being more interested in talking about The Changing Role of the Media in Asia, Joanne felt that the topic of The Growing Importance of Corporate Social Responsibility in Asia would be more applicable with her previous experience as a youth representing corporate Malaysia in another programme.
"Malaysian students need to be exposed to the outside world, to enhance their understanding of the various global issues taking place. And I am glad to have been given the opportunities," she said.
These young ambassadors were selected based on their leadership qualities, originality of ideas, knowledge of current affairs and communication skills.
Prior to being selected, the four had to undergo a rigorous selection process which included university selection, submission of written essays and a panel interview.
© 2002 New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Bhd