Of youth and politics

A generation is missing from politics. It is my generation. Of course, there are politicians of my age and even younger, too, but none of them is a national figure. While growing up, the national leaders we had were young and energetic. When Benazir Bhutto became prime minister, she was 35. When Nawaz Sharif assumed power at the centre, he was a little over 40. And Imran Khan lifted the World Cup at the age of 39.

Now, take a look around. Imran Khan is 60, Nawaz Sharif 63 and President Asif Ali Zardari 57. General (retd) Pervez Musharraf is pushing 70. They are all either running for the top office or, as in Zardari’s case, are in public office already. Why has our country failed to produce new leaders in the last 20 years?

Of course, there are young faces. Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari plans to start his political career soon. But he will be 25 this September. Between 25 and 60, there clearly is a tier missing. What happened to it? Where did the young national leaders go? I have little doubt that young politicians, some among them exceedingly bright, had to endure discrimination bordering on apartheid solely because of their age. Then, there is the matter of Musharraf’s almost eight-year-long military rule followed by five years of transition back to democracy. In these 13 years, prospects of young leaders emerging were further stymied. I am sure the brain drain had its impact, too. In the absence of a truly charismatic and selfless leadership, the youth was exposed to countless conspiracy theories, reactionary ideologies and unnervingly tumultuous circumstances. An empathetic, well-informed, honest and dedicated leader would have guided the youth through these troubling times. But alas, truth and empathy were sacrificed at the altar of political expediency. The result is an unmitigated disaster. The new breed of politically motivated youth has been brought up on half-baked truths, pessimism, paranoia and xenophobia.

This perception has been further reinforced by the exhaustive first Next Generation Voices report presented by the Next Generation Task Force under the aegis of the British Council. It has the second largest survey sample after Gallup Pakistan’s Political Weather Forecast for Election 2013 and is unique in the sense that it focuses entirely on young citizens between the ages of 18 and 29.

The findings are quite disturbing. Thirty-two per cent of our youth prefers military rule over democracy and another 38 per cent believes that Sharia is the best political system. Only 29 per cent still have faith in democracy. Of all these, the most frustrating was the bit about Sharia because it proves that we have not even been able to teach our youth how to distinguish between a political system and a code of justice. In the age of television media lacking in substantive discussion and dominated by the likes of Zaid Hamid, this was bound to happen.

The impact of television and the rest of the media is given special attention. While two minorities are either active online or totally disconnected from the media, a majority watches television, with music, news and current affairs shows popular with men. Only 11 per cent have an unfavourable perception of the media. So, if there is something wrong with the youth’s understanding of developments around them, the media, especially television channels, have a lot to do with it.

This, after all, is not any ordinary youth. Around a quarter of all young interviewees have either been directly affected by violence or have personally witnessed a serious violent episode. Three out of four women and two out of three men consider themselves religious or conservative. Employment is another concern as only one among 10 has a stable job and a third are still students, self-employed or underemployed. Just imagine their frustration when no clear explanation, let alone a solution, is offered either by the state or the national leadership.

The fact that Bilawal, Maryam Nawaz and many others are ready to join active politics is most welcome. Imran Khan’s decision to offer tickets to young candidates is even better news. But the youth deserves more than that. Above everything else, it needs truth and honesty from its leaders and some grooming.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 13^th, 2013.