Disillusioned in politics: Political parties duped the youth, activists say

‘No one takes the youth department seriously’.

LAHORE:

The youth have been largely exploited by political parties, especially in the general elections this year...and they still await practical steps for their development, several youth activists told The Express Tribune on Monday. 

“Political parties think that distributing free laptops and organising sports activities can work towards youth development...that is problematic,” Chanan Development Association (a youth organisation) Executive Director Shahzad Khan said.

“We can now see the youth being sidelined by governments and in political parties’ priorities,” he says.

He says with the government’s lack of focus on ensuring quality education and adequate job opportunities, the youth were denied all that they were promised during the elections.

“We understand the severity of the challenges faced by the federal and provincial governments,” Khan says, “But we cannot ignore the fact that they won votes on a different agenda.”

He lauded the government’s Punjab Youth Policy but doubted its implementation. “The government has failed to address key issues of health, social development, entrepreneurship and political participation of the youth...all part of the youth policy,” he said.

He regretted that the education minister also managed the portfolio for youth affairs.



Bargad Executive Director Sabiha Shaheen shared Khan’s reservations. “Youth department is just not taken seriously,” she said.

Shaheen had provided technical assistance for the formulation of the Punjab Youth Policy. Without decent funding and departmental hierarchy, she said, the department lacked the ability to ensure implementation of its initiatives. “Why would anyone want to run such a department?” she asked.

The inclusion of youths in local government could bring about positive change, Shaheen said, 25-year-olds can contest local body elections. She said that she had lobbied for a 5 per cent quota for the youth in the Local Government Bill 2013.

The youth has been ‘played’ by political parties in the general elections, Youth Advocacy Networks Chairperson Fasahatul Hassan said. “Political parties nominated the youth for seats they knew they were sure to lose,” he said, “That gave their claims some credibility but it prevented the youth from becoming part of the decision making process.”

Hassan said there was a lack of focus on education, career counselling and job opportunities for the youth. The Youth Department, he said, clubbed with three others that take up most of the resources.

“Strangely enough, the Youth Department only organises sports activities,” he said, “The department is also responsible for sports.”

There is a serious need to explain the youth’s priorities to policy makers and implementers. “I hope the government allows people younger than 25 years to be part of the local government’s decision making process,” said Hassan, “The age to contest elections must be lowered.”

The Youth Parliament of Pakistan’s (YPP) project Youth Action for Democracy had arranged an election awareness campaign prior to the general elections. YPP Programme Officer Amjad Ali said political parties were still busy accusing one another of rigging. This can only hamper progress. “Only when political parties get over the election results can we get down to serious business,” he said.

Rigging in the elections withered away the youth’s faith in the electoral process, he said. But despite that, the belief that the electoral process will triumph and weed out incompetent representatives prevailed.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 20^th, 2013.