COVID pandemic and paralysis of youth

Attention of party activists and policymakers should be drawn to the fact that excluding the youth from the society and not recognising their actions will open doors for narrow interests that destroy the youth’s abilities and for activities that do not lead to any positive result – Pic by Shehan Gunasekara 

The youth need to find the background to achieve it. We all must acknowledge the fact that ethnic, religious, cultural and linguistic diversity, as well as multicultural structure, are unavoidable in Sri Lanka’s culture. Policymakers must focus on recreating the social system, which is based on democratic moralities necessary to eradicate biased systems, social law, and fundamental rights, for the future generation. Both the youth and youth organisations need to think broadly about how they can strengthen their rights and basic welfare within a democratic structure

When the world faced various challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially as far as the education of the youth is concerned, the students have begun facing their exams without proper training and proper preparation. Many youths are facing challenges as they have not been able to fulfil their needs despite the efforts of teachers and the Government to continue academic activities via online platforms in a bid to overcome that situation.

Young students in many countries continue to face challenges despite the status of vaccination against COVID-19. There have also been instances where the vaccination of youths was delayed due to economic hardships. However, the fact that those countries vaccinated their youth to the best of their abilities is commendable. Also, the youth in those countries have lost their jobs as a result of the spread of COVID-19.

This situation can be witnessed in Sri Lanka at present. Due to that, a situation has arisen where many young people leave the country regardless of their gender. What is more, increasing the age of retirement is also one of the main reasons young people leave the country.

According to reports issued by the Election Commission (EC) recently, a decline has been observed when registering votes, and according to the EC and election monitoring groups, during the past decade, a decline in the number of urban youth exercising their franchise has also been observed. Also, when it comes to ethnicity, a decline in the number of Tamil youths and plantation sector youths casting their vote has been observed. It is not possible to ignore situations where the youth cast their vote in support of policy objectives. It should be strengthened at every election through political exploration. However, when expressing the public opinion in discourses about politics, urban youth willingly or unwillingly participate in struggles and strikes.

46% of rural youth and 32% of urban youth are in party politics, and a young community that does not get fully involved or show interest in political and social issues which resonate with the youth, as well as a young community consisting of a considerable number of young women and urban youth that has a feeling that voting or engaging in politics makes no difference, have come into existence.

There is also a young community that has no faith in the legal sector, civil service, and government-appointed commissions.

However, it is important to consider whether youths that are not interested in party politics but in politics in general can make a valuable contribution to social issues related to politics. Democratic participation in social development is a contribution that has a definite benefit when it comes to achieving local goals.

As a developing country, as a country that endeavours to create a democratic social system, and as a country that is waiting eagerly till the capital needed to create a self-sufficient economy comes from the international community, we see disengaging the youth group that thinks in terms of and work according to ethnicity and language and developing them as a young community that makes sustainable social welfare a reality, as a major challenge to democracy. We must think seriously about rescuing the youth from the mindset of creating issues and problems and about moving forward.

Attempts should be made to direct the youth to activities that create strong regulations, after identifying regional and national spaces that win the strategic needs that strengthen the country’s national position. They could be any useful field including education, health, social development, politics, culture, sports, or dietary patterns.

In international relations, this diplomacy will be used as a psychology that stabilises a country’s foreign policy and leads to changes in its direction. That is because public diplomacy can build the internal abilities of a country’s society. Also, it is something that strengthens public diplomacy in a country, in a society. 

Minority communities and religious groups unite internally and think about processes that strengthen their internal abilities, and all societies must unite and pay attention to processes that make it possible to build Sri Lanka’s public diplomacy at the international level. Attention should be paid to how migrant societies, especially migrant youths, can be used in these processes. 

Separate ourselves from national politics or party politics

First, we must separate ourselves from proposals for national politics or party politics. It could happen in an election season, or in a time of forming laws, or in an unspecified time. Great enthusiasm does not determine the stability of the existence of a country or a society. Also, it does not ensure the fundamental good of a society. This is one of the reasons for the youth’s disappointed thinking.

The fact that minor parties as well as national parties give encouraging promises targeting elections is undeniable. Promises fulfilled and given by the party politics system targeting national good, political opinions, and the Government’s political dominance must exist in the Government’s internal politics. Through that, it will be possible to instil confidence in the youth to ensure their participation.

Party politics has continuously failed to educate the society. The youth should be aware of the political motives of national parties. Creating internal potential secretly is not a democratic act. We must abstain from it. We need to look at national politics, party politics and strategic politics.

The civil society, which includes the youth, must further develop its national stability and potential. Attention should be paid to methods that help build cooperation internally.

Categorisation of more suitable policies that ensure the usefulness of Pradeshiya Sabhas and Provincial Councils depends on the capabilities of political parties. Political parties should pay attention to this. Young people must come forward to gain an understanding of the various levels of practicality of politics which have been created in a way that helps face future challenges.

Attempts should be made to identify the practical capabilities of political parties. Political parties must be directed to open processes. The responsibility of creating a common political culture for all citizens in future lies with the youth. Serious attention needs to be paid to checking whether political parties form social policies, especially those pertaining to education and health, and also productivity-focused permanent and accepted mechanisms for physical and infrastructure development. The youth’s attention should be drawn to activities that are free of fraud.

Youth politics should be developed with the aim of making a major change with regard to the need for a trustworthy mechanism when managing Pradeshiya Sabhas, Provincial Councils and the central government. Multi-ethnic government

Gaining a proper understanding about how flexible or firm, or changing or unchanging, political objectives should be set when engaging in politics in a multi-ethnic government should be one of the priorities of the youth community.

Careful attention should be paid to whether parties engage in internal or external politics, or in law-making processes, in a way that affects the youth adversely when it comes to matters that concern the youth’s existence in society.

Also, in recent times, national politics has been taking a new form. In this case, political parties should think about youth participation in politics. Also, attention must be paid to getting youth participation in a democratic manner. It is the responsibility of major parties to protect and grant their democratic rights.

Sociological vision should be disseminated politically. The youth should also pay attention to the developed social morality.

When we discuss whether the youth have positive attitudes about the Constitution, we can see that what they have is a negative attitude. It is impossible to see the young community agreeing on and expressing one opinion. Even though the civil society remains vigilant to propose the basis required to control the present and the future generation, those who have the authority should be creative and win social rights. 

Exerting political influence on public matters of the country should be avoided. Making unanimous decisions is a very important matter. There is no debate about the fact that the process of making a new constitution is problematic.

We should study broadly what social and economic benefits the youth gained from politics in addition to physical developments during the past few decades. It is a reality that the changes in the National Youth Services Council’s policy and structures have resulted in no satisfactory developments.

Today, there is a need for the country to move forward with its abilities. It is my belief that we are at a historically important juncture where the young community builds its abilities collectively. Leaving the country does not help to achieve permanent goals.

Young politicians must have mechanisms to strengthen the society with strong social, political and economic policies divorced from civil society mechanisms and political analysis. Paying attention only to securing one’s power is not appropriate, and there is now a need for a united political structure. We must change the political structure which is based on continuous ethnic expectations, and create a new social system.

The youth need to find the background to achieve it. We all must acknowledge the fact that ethnic, religious, cultural and linguistic diversity, as well as multicultural structure, are unavoidable in Sri Lanka’s culture. Policymakers must focus on recreating the social system, which is based on democratic moralities necessary to eradicate biased systems, social law, and fundamental rights, for the future generation. Both the youth and youth organisations need to think broadly about how they can strengthen their rights and basic welfare within a democratic structure.

Need of the hour

In a context where Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim extreme organisations that came into existence progressively damage co-existence in Sri Lanka, youth leaders behaving as a resource necessary to create an environment where diverse ethnic communities can live in an indivisible country, is a need of the hour.

Protecting the country from this issue is an urgent necessity. I see this as today’s youth’s national contribution.

The Government does not seem to be thinking that we should not give up on the opportunity to create a new country and that this is time our expectations should change. But political parties must be careful not to give secondary importance to the rights of the youth.

We are at a time where development activities, human rights and equal opportunities remain extremely necessary.

Governments and political parties must give space for the youth, who are also future leaders, to be part of social and local matters. Responsibilities should be delegated to suitable people when formulating policies. A strong link should be built between societies. The youth should pay attention to defeating backward national policies, and creating a new form of national policy unique to Sri Lanka. The youth should strengthen the law and common processes, and find what is good. To protect one’s cultural identity, one must avoid ignoring boundaries. A sense of civic responsibility should be instilled in the youth to act responsibly. Also, they need to be empowered to make decisions with regard to bigger issues in societies.

The youth should put forward proposals that promote unity. The youth should enter national level activities. The youth should build a democratic personality. A massive struggle is necessary for democracy. The youth must defeat anti-democratic sentiments.

The youth should serve to fulfil national needs. The youth must come forward to achieve common goals relating to national endeavours, either in principle or in action. Let us avoid passing on to the next generation the differences that divided the country traditionally. Let this be developed as the present young generation’s contribution for future democracy. There is no denying that many opportunities have been created by the Government for the youth of this country. But it is the Government’s responsibility to keep the door of democracy open for progressive action. 

Even today, there is a certain frustration among the youth. Laws that provide for equal opportunities for the youth must be formulated and strengthened. This new form of frustration has created a situation where they tend to leave the country. This is not healthy development not only for the government that was formed with majority power but also for the country. This is a weak, flawed process.

Political parties should provide modern and progressive training in order to develop the internal capacity of the youth to participate in politics and to build a principle-based political culture.

Opportunities for participation in the local context should be identified. Policymakers in political parties need to look into whether it is possible to improve national wellbeing through empowering the youth in terms of economic and trade capacities.

Giving due recognition to participate in fine opportunities is a strategy to develop the youth’s abilities. Attention of party activists and policymakers should be drawn to the fact that excluding the youth from the society and not recognising their actions will open doors for narrow interests that destroy the youth’s abilities and for activities that do not lead to any positive result.

It is the responsibility of all parties to develop the potential of saving Sri Lanka’s future, nurture a progressive localness, and extend support to the present-day youth to build the country.

In a context where experts have predicted that a great famine is likely to break out in near future, the Government must pay attention to managing the young community, especially the student community that is still studying, to face economic issues such as situations where it is impossible to fulfil food needs.

Only the youth that think moderately have the ability to control and win in the international/regional context from Sri Lanka. It is a reality that only they will succeed in achieving that goal in future. But the young generation must defeat the opportunistic racism and religion-based discrimination. Doing so will develop abilities in Sri Lanka we can take pride in.

Governments and political parties must give space for the youth, who are also future leaders, to be part of social and local matters. Responsibilities should be delegated to suitable people when formulating policies. A strong link should be built between societies. The youth should pay attention to defeating backward national policies, and creating a new form of national policy unique to Sri Lanka. The youth should strengthen the law and common processes, and find what is good

(The writer worked as Communication Officer at LKI, a Think-tank based in Sri Lanka. His work focuses on International Relations, Political Communication, Youth Engagement and Sustainable Development Issues. He is a regular political and external affairs content writer to Tamil Media outlets. He is reading his MA in University of Colombo. He can be reached at [email protected])