KUCHING, Oct 1 ― There is no need for Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) to form new wings for youths, following the lowering of voting age to 18 years.
This is because the party already has existing Youth and Women wings that play the same role, PBB vice president Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah reasoned.
“Maybe the party will make changes to form these wings, but in my opinion, it is not necessary,” he said when met after a Ziarah Belia @ Samariang 2021 youth programme here yesterday.
He added that the existing PBB Youth and Women wings may consider forming sub committees or sub-wings to ensure the participation of this age group in their committees.
The Youth and Sports Minister made these comments when asked on the possibility of setting up new wings for 18-year-olds in PBB.
He said so far, the matter has yet to be discussed in their supreme council meeting, and it might be brought up in the meeting.
“So far, there is no discussion yet, but we believe our youth and women wings have their own plan on how to approach these 18-year-olds, as said by Assistant Minister of Law, State-Federal Relations and Project Monitoring Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali, that the women wing has a Beliawanis section,” he said.
For other component parties of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), it is up to them to form new wings, he said.
On September 3, Kuching High Court Judicial Commissioner Alexander Siew ordered the federal government through the Election Commission (EC) to expedite the implementation of the lowering of voting age from 21 to 18 latest by December 31 this year.
On the Ziarah Belia programme, Abdul Karim said it was the ministry’s programme to try to get closer to the youths.
It aims to inculcate the spirit of volunteerism and responsibility amongst youths to be more caring in the community, he added.
“Youth is a phase that everyone goes through in the passage of life. They are going to inherit our leadership in the future, so we need to build responsible youths who can build strong families, community and the nation,” he said.
“The youths today are the ones who will be taking care of us when we are elderly, and who we entrust out future to.”
He added that the programme also hears the goals and aspirations of youths so that the ministry can hold suitable programmes to help them achieve their dreams.
At the event, 70 youths were given aid to help relieve the burden of cost of living due to the pandemic.
Present were Assistant Minister of Law, State-Federal Relations and Project Monitoring Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali and Ministry of Youth and Sports acting permanent secretary Nancy Jolhi. ― Borneo Post
