Times are changing fast, in some areas faster than expected or what would seem correct. Changing things just for the sake of winning a name for being progressive is not good enough and could even be dangerous. The proposal to bring down the voting age for national elections from 18 to 16 does not fall into this category, more so since Malta has already reduced the voting age for voting in local council elections. However, this does not mean it should be done haphazardly.

The country has discussed this topic before but it would seem that, with the next general election due to be held in less than two years from now, interest in it is picking up fast again. The Nationalist Party is all for it and Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has just confirmed that he agrees with it, too. But it is not clear if the government is prepared to commit itself to its implementation at the next election, at least according to the understanding gained from the comments and remarks it has made so far.

If it is prepared to do this, it should make its position clear now to give all concerned time to consider the proposal from all angles. The PN and the Democratic Party leader Marlene Farrugia have just presented a parliamentary motion calling for an immediate debate on the subject in order to give 16-year-olds the vote for the next general election.

The Labour Party’s reaction was somewhat confusing, considering that the Prime Minister agrees with the idea. Not to disappoint its diehard supporters, it reacted in the way it knows best, accusing the Opposition of wanting to politicise the issue.

Now, apart from the fact that there is hardly any subject under the Maltese sun that is not politicised, this is perhaps one of the few occasions when the government can save the country and the electorate another boring political controversy.

If, as the party says, there is consensus on lowering the voting age for general elections, there is absolutely no need to accuse the PN of being negative, a pathetic mantra that has become nauseating even to its supporters. Young adults set to qualify for voting if the proposal is implemented now demand from politicians the same level of maturity they expect from them. But it would seem they are going to be greatly disappointed yet again.

The subject does deserve due study in all its aspects, more so when it is considered that only a few countries in the democratic world have so far lowered the voting age to 16. The fact that so many countries are taking such a cautious approach is significant.

There are as many good points in favour as there are against. Those in favour point to the fact that giving the right to vote to 16-year-olds is more democratic and that, through such move, turnover may well rise. Malta has no problem with the size of turnover. It is always high.

Those against may argue that young adults are more prone to being manipulated than elder people.

Whatever the arguments, and there are many more than those presented here, it is wise to give the matter due consideration.

There is then the directly related subsidiary argument that if the voting age were to be lowered, should not the candidacy age be lowered as well? Debate on the whole subject ought, therefore, to start now if the political parties wish to move ahead in a matter that affects so many young adults.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.