Are school-leavers mature enough to vote at 18?


(FMT) – A psychologist has suggested that more studies be carried out before lowering the voting age to 18, as recently suggested by politicians. 

Dr Hanina Halimatusaadiah Hamsan of Universiti Putra Malaysia said that a decision to lower the voting age should not be carried out “solely for political motives” or merely to follow the examples of other countries where the voting age is 17 or 18.

She told FMT that full studies were needed on the psychological readiness of young Malaysians to take part in choosing a government.

“We can’t follow the standards of other countries because our education systems are different. The education system in the United Kingdom, for instance, shapes the maturity of children, beginning from kindergarten,” she said. “We also start education at the same age, but we are more exam-oriented. We stress a lot on our IQ.”

The different education systems had produced different results. Malaysian youths were trained through examinations while Western countries involve learning through more social interactions, said Hanina, who is the head of a citizenship and youth leadership laboratory at UPM.

She noted that Malaysia had defined the age of maturity at 21, as reflected in criminal laws where those under 21 are exempt from adult punishment.

Proposals for a lower voting age received endorsement from the new Youth and Sports Minister, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who said he hoped it could be done before the 15th general election, due in 2023.

Syed Saddiq said he would hold discussions with Education Minister Maszlee Malik on how exposure to the democratic process could be taught and applied at the upper secondary level, as in several other countries.

Hanina said young people could be easily influenced by what they saw and heard. “The elections might be affected as these youths form a big number of voters,” she said, adding that it would be unhealthy if that happens.

 



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