Call to maintain age definition of youths lauded
KOTA KINABALU: The Komulakan wing of Upko CLC Tamparuli supports the call of State Youth and Sports Minister Phoong Jin Zhe to maintain the age definition for youths to between 15 and 30 years old.
Phoong recently said that a thorough study must first be made before the state can proceed with the proposal to set the maximum age for youths at 30; therefore, the existing age definition should be maintained before the study can be completed.
Upko CLC Tamparuli Komulakan chief Maxolvin Sintore reckoned that the plan to introduce the new age definition should not be rushed as such move would leave a negative impact on the development of youths.
“However, if a youth has sufficient experience and knowledge in his leadership then he should not wait until he reaches the age of 30 to become a leader in any organization,” said Maxolvin in a statement.
He opined that youths of the state could also be developed through the implementation of ‘mentor-mentee’ programmes.
“This is important as the mentor could share his experience with the youths. Mentors play an important role in giving birth to new youth leaders,” he added.
He hoped that the Federal Youth and Sports Ministry would continue to work with its state counterpart here in Sabah – especially in assisting the youths in the rural areas. Maxolvin said that more sports facilities should be built in the rural areas of Sabah considering the fact many of the state’s athletes come from those areas.
He believed that this would pave the way for more athletes in the state.