The supposedly progressive Labour Party has this week resorted to a tactic that will likely lead to the political indoctrination of youths as young as 14, and who will likely end up being used as pawns in the upcoming leadership race.

The PL’s youth arm, the Forum Zghazagh Laburisti, announced on Friday evening that the party has lowered its membership age from 16 to 14.

The move comes even before the other stunt to get youths involved in politics – Vote 16 – has been tested out on a national level. In fact, 16-year-olds will be allowed to vote for the first time in the upcoming European Parliament elections, having already voted that they voted for local councils in 2015.

This newspaper has always taken a cautious approach on the topic, particularly when it comes to 16-year-old people contesting the elections. But this latest move by the PL is something we definitely do not agree with, for a number for reasons.

We believe that political education is lacking in Malta. By political education we mean basic knowledge of how our elections work, awareness on the different institutions, including Parliament, and the difference between party and state.

The last point is the most pertinent one. We believe that political ‘education’ provided by the political parties will be anything but. Instead of being exposed to the basic workings of a democracy, these youths will be brought up in a partisan environment where the leader is king and the political opponents are the devil.

While we strongly believe that our youths need to be taught on the way the country works, and fully endorse initiatives like the Youth Parliament sessions, which are free from any partisan politics, we can never agree with introducing 14-year-olds to partisan politics.

How can we expect our children to grow up and become open-minded individuals who are able to make a free and informed choice when they have propaganda shoved down their throats from such an impressionable age?

What chances have we of eradicating the indoctrination if we go down this path? And will the Opposition now follow suit and also allow 14-year-olds to become tesserati?

This is almost as bad as taking your three-year-old to a political mass meeting and making them wear a t-shirt with Joseph Muscat’s face on it or the PN ‘maktur.’

Allowing 14-year-olds to become tesserati will also mean that these youths will have a say in the election of senior party officials – something which the contenders for such high echelons might seriously consider exploiting.

In the Labour Party, the senior members, including the party leaders, are chosen in two rounds of voting, first by the delegates and then by the paid-up members. The fact that Labour will soon launch a leadership campaign raises questions on the timing of such a decision. Has this decision been taken to benefit some candidate or other?

One can also argue that, in a country where a large chunk of the electorate is bought off with cheap trinkets, such as the €40 tax refund cheque, 14-year-olds can be far easier to manipulate.

Even if one were to assume that these youths will not be manipulated, do 14-year-olds possess the necessary maturity and acumen to choose the party leader and, by default, a potential Prime Minister?

There is a reason why 14-year-olds are not allowed to smoke, drink, drive or marry – and the same concept should apply in this case.

We are not saying this to belittle or ridicule our youths, but we believe that certain decisions need a certain level of maturity and astuteness, and many 14-year-olds nowadays do not possess the level needed to make such important decisions. Children of that age should be more concerned with their studies and their future careers.

One also has to ask whether this is the first step towards Vote 14. Would it not have been better to first see what the effect of Vote 16 is in national elections? Would it not have been better for this progressive government to introduce basic knowledge of politics in the school curriculum? Would that not have served a greater purpose?

What this country needs are open minded youths that are well informed about the political system and who can make a free choice when they are of a certain age and level of maturity.

The continued indoctrination of our children will only serve to strengthen the tribal ideology that Joseph Muscat has so often said that he wants to remove. Why does the Labour Party, which continues to enjoy massive support, need to set its eyes on 14-year-olds? Is this just a marketing stunt?

It would, at this stage also be interesting to see what the Children’s Commissioner thinks about this latest move.