Sweet Sixteen And Your Town At Your Feet: Labour Politicians Want To Give Teens Shot At Local Council Elections
Three PL politicians have publicly backed a proposal to lower the age limit for local council elections from 18 to 16 years old, a move that could give people the chance to run their home town before they are allowed to drive.
At a campaign rally last Friday, MEP candidate Josianne Cutajar recounted how, at 22, she had become the youngest women councillor when she was elected by her Nadur constituents back in 2012.
“In the following election, I was pleased to see candidates even younger than I was putting their names forward,” she said. “Now that we have given 16-year-olds the right to vote, it is only fair that they should also be allowed to contest local council elections.”
“Just as a PL government had the courage to give women the vote and allow them to contest elections back in the 1940s, so too must we have the courage to give youths the chance to contest local council elections.”
Indeed, she personally urged Carlos Zarb, a 17-year-old activist present at the rally, to seek to become one of Malta’s youngest ever local councillors. Whether Carlos will be able to make history or not depends on the status of a proposed bill on local government reform, which among other things, calls for the lowering of the voting age and the possibility of full-time mayors.
Teenage activist Carlos Zarb (left) with Josianne Cutajar and Robert Abela
Labour MP Rosianne Cutajar also endorsed this proposal, harking back to the scepticism she faced when she was elected Qormi mayor seven years ago.
“I was 23 and some people had warned I was too young to be put in charge of such a large town,” she said. “However, we have now even given 16-year-olds the vote and yes, I believe they should also be allowed to contest local elections.”
And fellow MP Robert Abela, who has been tipped as a potential successor to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, said teenagers can be more innovative and mature than adults.
“I recently attended a session of the National Youth Parliament and it was one of the best parliamentary sittings I ever attended in terms of the ideas that were discussed, the maturity of the debate and the way the youths handled sensitive topics that MPs are too scared to touch.”
“Allowing them to contest local council elections is a courageous, but correct step. You cannot say you believe in youths but then not empower them to participate in public life.”
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