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| THE ROLE OF YOUTHS IN CONSTRUCTING DEMOCRACY IN A TRANSITIONAL POLITY |
 PRINTABLE VERSION |
"When the good way prevails in the state speak boldly and act boldly. When the state has lost the way act boldly and speak softly." Confucius.
Wide spread public opinion holds that every country, nation or organized group of people will want to adopt the democratic model, in some cases claim to have adopted it.
The readiness to acknowledge that the birth of each new democracy may be the result of a different combination of factors has permitted researchers to give attention to the important role often played by specific kinds of actors in the process; one of which is of priority concern in this work is the role of youths in constructing democracy in a transitional polity.
Democracy often means many things to many people but the central concerns of democracy since 1945 has been the peoples right to freely determine their own destiny. The extent to which youths are involved in deciding on the future of their societies either directly or indirectly has a tremendous impact on the level of cooperation and leadership they will provide in building that society’s democracy on principles such as;
Freedom of Expression, Belief and Association
Free, Fair and Competitive Elections
Political Participation
Good Governance
Gender Equality
Due Process of Law
Respect for the Inalienable Rights of Individuals
Free Communications Media
Equitable Distribution of State resources and Opportunities.
The establishment of systems where democratic principles abound and are upheld requires a civil society where the youths are predominantly the catalyst of a socio- political and economic culture attuned to democracy, liberty and freedom.
It befits to emphasize that democracy does not fall from heaven; it has to be brought about by individuals, groups and social actors who fight for it.
Those who can bring about freedom where it is absent and justice where it is denied are chiefly young people. Freedom and justice is a patient and often-difficult struggle that requires the strength, sacrifice, rigor and fortitude of young people to be attained.
Often times the youth force retreat to dormancy and apathy for lack of perspective and coordination.
In this frustration the youth force is hijacked and brought into conflict by belligerent, insurgent and other terrorist war lords either to resist possible democratic transition or to meet their deadly goals.
Looking at civil and political crises in Congo, Liberia, Angola, Rwanda, Somalia, Sierra- Leone, Shrilanka and Sudan we find the effective, forceful and brutal presence of youths playing central roles, as fighters or victims.
In Sierra- Leone for example it is reported that almost all the warring groups extensively recruited child soldiers- the Sierra- Leone Army ( SLA), the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), and the Kamajors/ Civil Defense Forces ( CDF).
Civil conflicts could be reduced in many places, for instance in Ivory Coast and Sudan, if sufficient attention and resources are deployed to provide coordination, leadership and perspective to youths in these countries.
The period of democratic transition is often a very fragile period in a country’s political construction, which usually if not properly managed and protected could slide to endless civil and political unrest.
To protect the fragility of democratic transition in infant democracies it is paramount for youths to play two key roles;
1) Setting up and Fortifying Youth Structures, that will be able to provide democratic perspective, foresight, education and empowerment to the youth population. So as to protect it from sheepishly sliding into the dead trap of rebel factions and recruitment by war-lords who may want to frustrate the political evolution of that country.
2) Mounting a Coordinated Youth Front by Youths to provide a coordinated youth action and organized youth participation. To ensure that youths are visible involved in the building/construction of democracy during and after the transition. Dialogue, trust and collaboration are what underpin democracy. Therefore a youth front can serve as a provider of that kind of relationship required to create an enabling environment where both government and the civil society can interact and operate well.
If the youth force, energy, dynamism and rigor is not harnessed and brought into desired perspective during democratic transitions a situation risk occurring where the
" youth power" is taken hold of by anti democratic groups and rival factions to drive the society back into to totalitarianism and anarchy.
Maggie Kuhn, founder of the Gray Panthers assert that
"The individual can make a difference in politics, sometimes by organizing others".
Consider that, a Sudanese student standing strong and firm against the advancement of a tank containing solders ordered to crush a demonstration he and his fellows have organized may attract the world’s amazed respect and sympathy and thereby give courage to those who are determined to carry on the battle for democracy.
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Stephen N. Asek
Stephen Asek is a Cameroonian with a multicultural perspective in development, justice and social responsibility.
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