Opinion: No, Malta Shouldn’t Allow 16-Year-Olds To Become Mayors
Malta has become the first European country to allow 16-year-olds to become mayors but this shouldn’t be seen as some kind of positive development.
For a long time now, both PL and PN have been calling for a lowering of the minimum mayorship age from 18 to 16, arguing it is unfair that youths can vote and contest local council elections but cannot become mayors.
But surely 16 is way too young an age to run a town or village.
That’s not to say there may not be some exceptions who mature at a faster rate than their peers, but that most 16-year-olds do require more life experience to take on that level of responsibility. As for those exceptions who may be mature enough, waiting a few years while they gather more experience isn’t exactly the worst thing in the world.
The legal change has been spearheaded by Minister Owen Bonnici
It’s the same reason 16-year-olds aren’t allowed to drive and why the courts consider them as minors when it comes to criminal punishment.
So a person can run a town but is still too young to be considered a criminal if they break the law? Where is the logic in that?
Perhaps the real reason the government is so comfortable lowering the mayorship age is because it has stripped local councils of so many powers – including town planning, traffic enforcement and rubbish collection – that running one doesn’t even entail that much responsibility.
In fact, lowering the mayorship might be the strongest sign yet of how little the government values local councils as anything more than glorified customer care centres.
The ideal future of local councils is simple – way fewer councils with way more powers.
Do you think 16-year-olds should be allowed to become mayors?
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