The idea floated by Labour leader Joseph Muscat that 16-year-olds should be allowed to vote in local council elections has been received with a mixture of enthusiasm and scepticism, which leads one to think that the issue needs to be debated even more before a definite “yes” or a “no”.
The concept had already been put forward by Alternattiva Demokratika earlier this year, with the Nationalist Party’s Youth Movement also expressing itself in favour some time later. This actually means that there are elements in all political parties that agree that youngsters just finishing compulsory school should participate in the democratic process of electing their local councillors. But there is still a long way to go in this regard.
No doubt, if implemented, this would be the first step towards expanding the idea of 16-year-olds voting in other, more important, national polls such as general elections, the European Parliament elections and national referendums, if and when we have them. Labour MPs have taken the cue from what Dr Muscat has stated, and are now themselves calling for changes in the law to allow 16-year-olds to vote in local elections. Nationalist Party exponents are taking a more cautious approach on the issue, and are perhaps waiting for Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi to make the first move and then follow suit. So far, top government officials have remained silent.
The government is currently holding a public discussion on the local councils reform, with a third public debate on the issue scheduled to be held next week. The parliamentary secretary for public dialogue, Chris Said, is himself holding meetings with local councils and although most of them have already been held before this particular subject was brought up, Dr Said should take the opportunity of the meetings he has left to get to know what the mayors and councillors think about the subject.
What is sure is that this issue should be decided when the government issues its plans for the local council reform some time later this year. Although the government’s intentions, when the plans to reform local councils were announced after the election, did not initially include this particular subject, now that it has been brought up the government should make it clear whether it intends to accept it or not.
The question is: should people of such a young age be involved in the political scenario, or should they be allowed to concentrate on their education? This same question was put years ago when the voting age was reduced from 21 to 18 and, although at the time there were currents against the idea too, ultimately the decision taken was never regretted.
It must be said that young people are today are more exposed to the political life than the older generations were, although the question as to whether they are really interested in politics is altogether another matter. Yet, these days, with so many advances in telecommunications and the ever-growing presence of the media in our everyday life, in particular through the internet, 16-year-olds have the possibility of informing themselves more than the 16-year-olds of 20, 30 years ago.
Those who agree with Dr Muscat say that, at 16, young people have already developed an interest in national and international politics, and should be given a chance to express themselves at least on a local level. Those who do not agree think that 16-year-olds are too young to be involved in political issues, and should concentrate solely on their studies.
Both are valid lines of thought, and therefore a serious analysis needs to be made of the implications of such a move before a final decision is taken.