A Talk on the Environment. Good morning I bid to the honorable judges, teachers and fellow students.

I am happy to be given the opportunity to speak to you today. The focus of my speech is the depletion of forests and its effect on our environment. It is a fact that our forests are being depleted at an alarming rate today. Forests are cleared mainly to accommodate new housing estates and industrial parks. With the advancement of science and technology, there is a growing need to build more and more factories. When there is a concentration of factories in one area, it becomes polluted by the waste products and smoke which are released into the atmosphere. My fellow accomplices, As we all know, polluted air causes a lot of health problems for people. The oxygen level in the air also decreases, because of deforestation. When there are fewer trees, the production of oxygen is lessened. People develop breathing difficulties, asthmatic attacks and common colds. We are paying a high price in the name of progress. In the past, there were trees almost everywhere. Today, forests and trees have given way to houses, buildings, factories, and concrete jungles. The weather is much hotter now than it used to be. This is because there are no more trees to provide shade. Deforestation or depletion of forests has not only hurt the human race but also the animal kingdom. The animals are losing their natural habitat. When animals do not have their homes they are more likely to die or be killed. Many of these wild animals will have to migrate and some resort to threatening peoples lives by coming into residential areas. Due to this, they are mercilessly killed. Depletion of forests can also lead to the extinction of many rare species. The thoughtless and selfish actions of man have brought much harm to these animals. The government has realized the gravity of the problem and so encourages the people to plant more trees, as well as to organize replanting programmes. This is indeed a wise move because the government wants to ensure that the future generation will have trees around them. Now, the success or failure of this campaign lies entirely in our hands. We must plant more trees around us so that our children will inherit a healthy world. Thank you.

Social Ills Good afternoon honorable judges and members of the floor. I am glad to be given this opportunity to speak to all of you. Being school children in the age group of 13-19 years, it is easy to fall prey to social ills. It is undeniable that social ills are common in our fast developing society. There are many kinds of social ills, namely smoking, drinking, sexual immorality and drugs. The youth of today are subjected to so many kinds of problems that they are easily led into these kinds of social ills. In todays society, it has become necessary for both parents to work; the reason being that they want to provide the best for their children. What parents fail to understand is that the best for their children is companionship and their constant love. Neglect at home has led to children loitering in shopping malls and being drawn into drugs and sexual immorality. To stop more of our youths from being lured into these vices, parents should find the time to spend with their children. Secondly, peer group pressure is a strong influence on todays youth. They are very brand-conscious and try to emulate their friends. Some youths will resort to first working part-time to get money to buy branded goods and if that is not enough they get involved in sexual vice. These youths need to be taught the importance of moderation and selfvalue so that they dont get easily influenced by others. Students also should not be allowed to go out with friends as and when they please. Parents need to make it compulsory for students to be home by a certain time. Parents also should be wary of their teenagers driving habits. Many tragedies have happened where teenagers were involved in speeding or drink-driving. Media influence is yet another important factor to consider. Youths need to be guided. They need to be educated that their Asian cultural values are very enriching. They can imitate the good values of the west but they must not lose their identity as an Asian in general and a Malaysian in particular. The teachers in school can help to educate them. Finally, parents should not compare students talents and academic abilities with others. Too much peer pressure can drive students towards undesirable behaviour. Parents and teachers must be sensitive to the needs of the youths. In doing so, the youths of today can be saved and be moulded to become the leaders of tomorrow. With that, I thank you for listening so patiently.