A young South African had the opportunity to ask Parliament a question, but his very serious question has left us all with an even bigger query.
Cape Town, South Africa – A young South African asked Parliament what would happen if a change was made, and intelligent children were allowed to vote?
“What if we make this change? What if we allow children to vote?
What if a child studies all the things that different political parties want to change in the country and they understand the depth of what they are doing and they go through one or two assessments and they have the voting intelligence of an adult.”
The question causes some laughs, and some offers, in jest, to join various political parties. The parliamentary leader goes on to explain that children are not ready to vote at a “young age” and this is apparently to protect them until they are ready to make those decisions.
But the young South African’s question, begs an even bigger question… why are we not teaching our children about the basics of South African politics at a school level? Why are we not equipping them with the knowledge to make an informed decision?
What would happen if a child studied all the things that different political parties want to change in the country and they understand the depth of what they are doing and they go through one or two assessments and then became old enough to vote?
“It’s not because of whats on the outside, its because of whats on the inside.”
Watch the parliamentary session below: