KUCHING: Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah has reiterated that Sarawak will retain the youth age limit at 40 years, despite the federal government’s decision to lower it to 30 years.
Abdul Karim, who is the Sarawak Minister for Youth, Sport and Entrepreneur Development, also highlighted Sarawak’s autonomy in deciding whether to adopt or reject the federal decision.
“I have been asked (by the media) whether or not Sarawak will follow (the federal decision), and I answered, not yet. We have our own way of training the youth,” said Abdul Karim, who is also the the Sarawak United National Youth Organisation (Saberkas) president, at a Saberkas dinner on Monday (Dec 4).
Recently, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said the federal government had set Jan 1, 2026 as the effective date for the Youth Organisations and Youth Development (Amendment) Act 2019 (Act A1602), which lowers the youth age limit.
Meanwhile, the dinner was organised to celebrate the presence of 390 representatives and observers, including 53 Saberkas Executive Committee members, in conjunction with its Triennial General Assembly.
The assembly aims to elect new leadership for Saberkas for the 2023-2026 term, with 45 candidates vying for 25 vacancies in the Supreme Executive Committee.
