Will they vote in local elections if they shun student elections?

Over these last few weeks we have been debating whether we should give voting rights for local council elections to 16-year-olds. I must admit I do not yet have a position on this matter but I want to make two general comments.

Firstly, the proposers have mainly limited their proposal to voting at 16 years of age. What about standing for election, being elected as councillors and/or mayors? Would the proposers have any objection that, once the 16-year-olds have been given voting rights for local council elections, they are given the right for a driving licence, entry into casinos, consumption of alcohol and smoking along with many others?

Furthermore, why limit the voting rights to local council elections as if these are second-class elections? So far the proposers have treated this proposal in isolation and did not bother to analyse the legal and social repercussions. A thorough study should first and foremost be made before even starting to debate its implementation.

Secondly, voting is a right and a responsibility and as all other responsible decisions it needs long-term preparation. The Education Authorities have long been trying to prepare our youngsters to participate fully and fruitfully in the democratic system. For many decades it adopted the class prefect system and lately they have introduced the students' council in our schools.

Even the National Minimum Currucilum gives due importance to this matter. Objective 2, on the development of citizens and democratic institutions, gives guidelines to all schools, but I doubt whether all this is being given its due priority. Even social studies play a part in the preparation of our students for active citizenship.

Yet when this preparation for active citizenship comes to the test in student elections at the university, Mcast and Junior College, it fails. Participation by students in these elections is minimal because, probably, students have other priorities than student politics. Yet, even though these elections are more relevant to the students, they shy away from them and concentrate on their own priorities.

I urge the education authorities to give a higher profile to Objective 2 of the NMC and other related activities so that our young people will be fully prepared to participate actively in a democratic system. Then we can start to actively debate the lowering of the voting age.