16-year-olds voting in national elections

Our country has embarked on an interesting project – whether or not to give 16-year-olds the right to vote in general elections.

This is an exciting proposition that could be introduced in Malta during this legislation. Obvious questions are posed when one reflects on the voting age being proposed – such as whether or not these young people are sufficiently mature to have a say in and influence the our national political scenario?

To shed some light – and reflect – on some of the aspects of this suggestion, perhaps we should all engage in an interesting flashback and remember ourselves when we were 16. At that age, our priorities and emotions were different. We should ask ourselves: could we have contributed more if we had been given a say at the age of 16? Could we have shaped our lives better if we were given more opportunities and not treated as empty vessels? Moreover could we have contributed more to our country?

It is true that there will always be those who are dream-shatterers and think of youth as a turbulent, restless period, with an intrinsic inability to be responsible. These will be opposed by those who argue that being young means having a plethora of unused ideas. These two diverse stances will be explored in the consultation that the government has launched.

Today’s younger generation is exposed to a myriad of information, some witnessed in person, some through the medium of internet and social media. Children and young people are self-educating themselves. Moreover, governments in various parts of the world have invested heavily in education. This is particularly true in Malta, where our governments have always increased the education budget, a momentum which is being kept. We are moving from an industrialised type of educational system, which looks very much like an assembly line in a car production factory, to a more people and individual-oriented type of approach. Only a decade ago, we thought of certain conditions such as dyslexia as a mental illness. Nowadays dyslexia is not only treated, but many dyslexics are successful people. One example is international entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson.

We need to have faith in the educational system which is bringing up the young people of today and thinking that they can contribute more. Our country, which is being exposed to unprecedented economic growth, needs to use all its human resources. This is why the consultation document launched last Saturday is also testing the waters and asking whether 16 and 17-year-olds should contest the local council elections and possibly be elected mayors. One understands that, in the latter scenario, a legislative overhaul will need to take place.

The human being tends to be averse to change but, if managed well, change can bring in a new impetus and exposure to new limits. Henry Ford, the inventor of the Ford brand, who revolutionised the production of motor vehicles, said that had he listened to the people he would have invented faster horses. This means that there will always be opposition to change, to people who think outside the box, but sometimes it is when we test our limits that we can get the best out of our country. And Malta has tested estab- lished limits with success quite often lately.

This does not mean that the right to vote in general elections or to contest local council elections must occur in our country in a vacuum. We have to be prepared from an educational perspective. Many a time, politics in Malta is considered like a football club, where if you have been born into – and have grown up in – a specific type of family, you ought to remain biased and loyal all your life. The problem with this system is that it does not provide enough space for individuals to seek and find what truly are their political beliefs and social pressures, dictate how an individual should behave also politically.

Vote 16 should be an initiative built pari passu with an educational campaign to inspire young people who have never have any support to be active in politics. This benefits not the young people concerned but ultimately our country as well. We need to empower the young and not let others lose the opportunities that we lost when we were younger .