Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/448091
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 18 JANUARY 2015 11 compiling and eventual filing of the petition as well. Changing goalposts would risk opening the current ref- erendum process to a judicial chal- lenge. The referendum was called on a given set of rules and it must be taken to a conclusion on those same rules," he said. Owen Bonnici added that govern- ment's commitment was for 16-year- olds to vote in local council elections, while will continue to "progress and develop" after the elections. So what do the youths think? Two 'Vote 16 ambassadors' were asked by MaltaToday whether they should be able to vote in the upcom- ing referendum, and they held differ- ent opinions. Clara Grixti, of Siggiewi, said the right to vote in a referendum was es- sential for youths. "If we are given the right to vote in the council elections then we are as responsible to vote in a referendum. Referenda are important for us too because they impact our future too. Of course, voting in a referendum also means that we have to be re- sponsible and consider all options in order to make an informed choice." Georvin Bugeja, of Bormla, wel- comed the political parties' decision to allow young adults to have their say in local elections. "I believe that this was a big step forward for our island and that fi- nally we are spreading the values of democracy further. Having said that, one must keep in mind that this legislation will be tested in the next local elections and therefore the outcome of this is not yet known," Bugeja said. Arguing that the process for the referendum started before the leg- islation of vote16 was put into place Bugeja said it would be "rather dis- respectful" to change the "rules to the game" now after a decision by a court was taken. "It is highly understandable that there is excitement between young adults who are willing to express their opinions and feel that with their contributions they are building a better society for themselves. But one should always keep in mind that this is a binding referendum, and that the outcome would lead to a change in legislation. Therefore having such a short notice to introduce this to young adults would create confusion and there would be a possibility of having uninformed choices." As expected, there was not much variation between what the politi- cal parties and their youth affiliates think. Alternattiva Demokratika Zghaz- agh (ADZ) said Labour and the PN had always agreed to the vote 16 for local councils. "We believe in a society where youth are fully empowered and in- cluded. A referendum such as this one would give a fresh voice to the electorate by including 16-18 year olds in the voting process, who should have the right to vote in such a democratic process in order to be fully contributing citizens to our so- ciety," ADZ secretary general Anna Azzopardi said. MZPN president Matthew Agius said the PN's youth branch saw no possible logical reasoning behind 16- and 17- year old youths being deprived their right to vote in the referendum. "All political parties are now in agreement that they are mature enough to vote at local elections on the very same day the referendum will be held," he said, arguing that not allowing them to vote was "hyp- ocritical". "These 10,000 youths should not be deprived of what would be a great chance for them to express them- selves in a logical non-partisan man- ner – on an issue that affects the soci- ety they live in. In his words, Muscat had pledged to youths that he wants to see them as protagonists – why is he hesitating in his actions?" Forum Zghazagh Laburisti presi- dent Alex Saliba said the FZL was of the belief that only those aged 18 and above should be able to vote in the referendum. "We believe that the rules should not change halfway through the electoral process, risking a legal chal- lenge to the referendum outcome," he said. Saliba added that, after these elec- tions, discussions should start on giving youths the right to contest local council elections, vote and run for the general elections and also be able to vote in future referenda. "FZL believes that this should hap- pen gradually and these local elec- tions should serve as a testing ground to see 16- and 18-year-olds taking part in this democratic test." News the referendum? "We cannot discard the fact that the referendum process kicked off on a set of rules. If we play around with the rules now it can open a Pandora's box and the referendum outcome would be questioned" – Michael Briguglio 3,794 fines issued in 2013 over truancy at school MIRIAM DALLI 3,794 fines were issued to par- ents and guardians as a penalty for school days capriciously missed by their chidlren during 2013. The fines – €7 followed by an ad- ditional €2.33 for every other failed attendance – are issued by the re- gional tribunal. The total pend- ing amount currently stands at €508,062, down from €1.4 million. The majority of fines are owed by parents who not only ignore re- quests to appear before a tribunal but who also ignore the fines issued against them. The government has identified the first group of 100 parents who will now receive a legal letter from the Office of the Attorney General as a final warning to parents who repeatedly failed to take action over their children's truancy. It is understood that the purpose of the exercise is not to collect rev- enue but to encourage parents to send their children to school. The parents were identified by the Edu- cation Psycho-Social Services Unit within the Ministry for Education. Legal action against parents with substantial amounts of pending fines for not sending their children to school is being taken to tackle absenteeism at school. A collective, informal decision taken 25 years ago allows students to miss three days from school eve- ry month without requiring them to present a medical certificate. It appears that students have so gotten used to the system that it is carried forward to when they start working – the system has been identified by GPs. While it is a child's right to receive education and the parents' legal obligation to observe it, the rate of truancy in Malta remains high, es- pecially at secondary level. Pending fines to be paid by parents Region Amount due South €204,877.73 South East €155,058.10 North €81,481.64 Central €66,009.39 Gozo €635.85 Grand Total €508,062.71