Sarawak gets to decide on youth age cap, not Johor

The Federal government threaded carefully on the youth age cap in Sarawak, saying it respects the state’s decision to maintain it at 40.

Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, says the federal government respects the stand of the Sarawak government in making an in-depth study of the decision to lower the youth age cap.

This is in direct contrast to the fight that is ongoing between the Johor state and the Federal government.

Johor has also decided not to lower the youth age cap.

Last week, Bernama said the Johor state government’s move to maintain its youth age limit at 40 will affect the future of the state’s youth movements.

The Federal government said maintaining the age cap means the Johor youths will not get help from the federal government. In Sarawak’s case, the age cap for youths registered under the Registrar of Youth (ROY) will go be implemented.

But for those that does not come under the jurisdiction of the federal government, the state will decide.

On July 3, Syed Saddiq tabled the Youth Societies and Youth Development (Amendment) Bill 2019 in the Dewan Rakyat, seeking to lower the youth age cap from 40 years to 30.

Sarawak Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the age factor is not a major issue but what is more important are the programmes for youth development.

“In Sarawak, youth organisations are registered under the Registrar of Societies (ROS) and, as such, it is the state government that determines the age cap, which is 40.

“We have entrepreneurship programmes for the B40 (bottom 40 per cent households) youths. If the age cap is lowered, it will undermine what has been implemented so far. So, we are looking in-depth at the implications and so on,” he said to Bernama.