TRAINING OUR YOUTHS

May 06, 2017 Editorial, Features / Columnists

Youths are the future of the country, and the deciding force in elections. Youths determine who gets elected by voting or abstaining from voting. But it seems that there is a high level of frustration and anger among our youths, many of whom are poor, uneducated and jobless.
Some are forced to turn to crime in order to survive. Others have been promised employment only to realize that they are not equipped because of their poor academic standards.
While many have vented their anger and frustrations in many ways, most of the time against the society, others are striving to do something useful, even if it means setting up a stall and vending something that could be in demand.
This is commendable, given that a large number of youths voted in the last general elections. They felt that the government has not provided them with jobs as promised. Youths are 65 percent of the population, yet there are only a few token youth representation at the helm of government structures such as the cabinet and Parliament.
There is real fear among youths that they are being schooled in the same old partisan, divisive and vindictive politics that will ultimately see them mirroring the politicians of today whom they would replace. The fear becomes worse because none of the political parties has any real formal systems or mechanisms in place to train youths in a non-partisan, non-divisive and non-vindictive way.
Youths are needed in politics but they are not being taken seriously by the leaders of the main political parties which must develop mechanisms to groom them to replace the present crop of aging politicians. It must be done in a holistic way. Youths who aspire to become future politicians should not be subjected to the autocracy and group-think that currently exists in the parties. They should be free to make their own choices independently.
They should not be forced to toe the party line or engage in rabid partisan dialogue. They should be viewed as holistic leaders who will move the country away from partisan politics. Therefore, ample training by the established parties would perhaps provide the right balance for real political mentorship that is desperately needed to unite the country and move it forward. It would provide youths with the opportunity to practice politics without partisan overtures.
Partisan politics is at the root of much of the economic disparities between the rich and the poor as well as in the education, health and social systems. It has created a dysfunctional society. Most of the young politicians today were trained in the old-fashioned way to practise partisan politics to the detriment of society.
This was evident in past administrations and is still being practiced by this government whose ministries, departments and state agencies are staffed with party personnel. Partisan politics has and continues to be a very destructive element in the country which is striving desperately for unity.
There are no laws to prohibit anyone from having political affiliations or from practising or being engaged in partisan politics. However, it would be in the best interest of the country for all political parties and civil society groups to begin the dialogue to transform the political system into a non-partisan structure.
The starting point is for the two mainstream political parties to refrain from corrosive practices in order to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. They should start the process of schooling our youths in the art of non-partisan political strategies andequipthem with the tools for effective and visionary leadership to transform the country. This should be the minimum requirement for our youths who should demand nothing less.

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