LIMBANG – The Sarawak Government has affirmed that it will maintain the youth age limit between 15 and 40 years, despite the Federal Government’s decision to lower the national threshold to 30 years starting January 2026.
Sarawak Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development (MYSED), Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, stated that the state is not obligated to follow the Federal Government’s directive, as youth and sports matters fall under the concurrent list.
“We are not bound by what is proposed at the Federal level. The issue was discussed at length during the meeting attended by exco members and NGOs. Some agreed to the proposed age limit, others recommended keeping it at 35 or 40 years,” he said during a press conference after officiating the BeliaGoBiz @Limbang 2025 Programme at the Limbang Civic Centre on Saturday.
According to him, lowering the age limit to 30 would exclude many eligible youths from participating in state-led development, financing, and entrepreneurship programmes.
“At 30, most of them have only recently graduated, may be starting families, and would miss out on support programmes. These programmes are vital to help them settle and contribute meaningfully to society,” he explained.
He further cited the successful model adopted by SABERKAS (Sarawak United National Youth Organisation), where 70% of leadership must be under 40, and 30% may be above, calling it a flexible and proven formula.
“If a formula works well in Sarawak, we keep it. If it doesn’t, then we make adjustments,” he added.
