The government’s Electoral Manifesto for 2017-2022 is built on the principles of equality and democracy to ensure the best time our country has ever seen.
In order for a country to be truly fair, inclusive, and democratic, every individual citizen must be given a voice.
That is why we pledged to introduce the right to vote in General and European Parliament elections for 16-year-olds. These young citizens were given the right to vote in local council elections for the first time in April 2015; a historical milestone in Maltese politics. I am certain the 16-year-olds who voted for the first time in this election exercised this right very responsibly. It is now time to look ahead and take the next step forward. This was not a decision taken lightly. We are taking this step after extensive consultations with NGOs and other stakeholders and we will be conducting a public consultation, inviting everyone to participate in this discussion.
As they turn 16, our young citizens are at a critical phase – they are moving from the life of a secondary school student to a more independent one in post-secondary education or in the working world. It is a time when they start forming opinions based on their experiences and surroundings, which is precisely why it is so important that they grasp the notion that their opinions do matter. They should have a say in how their country, and consequently their future, is shaped. After all, post-secondary students are already involved in their own politics on campus at student council level. Several political youth organisations have already actively agreed to the introduction of Vote 16. These include Forum Żgħażagħ Laburisti, Alternattiva Demokratika Żgħażagħ, Moviment Żgħażagħ Partit Nazzjonalista, Studenti Demokristjani Maltin and Pulse. Kunsill Studenti Junior College (KSJC) has also publicly agreed to the introduction of Vote 16. It is also worth commending these young people for setting aside their political differences and joining one another in a shared viewpoint for the sake of the common good.
It has to be pointed out that we will not be the first country to introduce this vote. Austria and Scotland have both taken a more inclusive approach by involving their young people in national elections. This not to mention the resolution expressed by the European Parliament on 11th November 2015, recommending that EU member states consider including 16-year-olds in their electorate. I too believe this is the way forward – this is the future and we must, as always, be at the forefront.
I believe in our young people. I have been politically active since a very young age. I was the youngest mayor in the Maltese Islands back in 2005 when I was elected to lead the Dingli Local Council and was still a teenager. In March 2013, I was elected to Parliament and appointed junior minister in Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s Cabinet. Today, at the age of 31, I am Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects. This is a role I took up after serving four years as Parliamentary Secretary for the EU Presidency 2017 and EU Funds. My political career is just starting, and I believe that the extensive experience I have gained throughout the past 12 years – the valuable opportunities and the various responsibilities I was entrusted with – has helped me to grow into the person I am today.
My career as a politician has only become a reality because someone had showed faith in me, because someone believed in the capabilities and aspirations of a young man. I am referring to our Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who has always expressed his confidence in and his commitment to the unparalleled potential of the younger generation. I was also given the citizens’ trust; citizens who voted for me to represent them at local council level, and eventually in Parliament. I believe that I was given this trust because I have always made clear my willingness to serve in the best interest of my community and my determination to give my best to make my country a better place. I am also confident that there are many other young people who possess this determination, as well as great potential, to achieve political success.
The energy harnessed by young people needs to be given its due importance. They are the future of our country, and of the world, and we must therefore always encourage them to follow and involve themselves in the political development of their country. This can only happen if we give them the space to express themselves and share their ideas. Through Vote 16, these young citizens will be given a vote of faith by the people of Malta by entrusting them with a lot of responsibility, as their decisions will affect their country – their education, their jobs, the prosperity and wellbeing of their families, and all other facets of our current and future social and economic life.
The voting document represents the weight of this responsibility. We must ensure that our youth are always informed and updated on everything that is happening in our country, while providing the necessary guidance on how to make such an important decision. This cannot happen unless we open our doors and welcome the questions of these citizens, as they start the most inquisitive age of their lives.
My door is always open, and I am entirely confident that our Maltese and Gozitan youth are responsible and clearheaded enough to decide who they would like to run our country and how this should be done. I was given a chance to show my country what I could achieve, and I wholeheartedly believe that such an opportunity should also be given to each and every young citizen. Let us empower our young people, let us make it Vote 16.
Ian Borg is the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects