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| THE ROLE OF YOUTHS IN CONSTRUCTING DEMOCRACY IN A TRANSITIONAL POLITY |
 PRINTABLE VERSION |
An Iraqis journalist may persist in telling the world of her government’s repressive acts even after she herself is imprisoned and tortured and thus force changes in that nations way of dealing with political dissent.
According to Kay Lawson,
"Even in today’s densely populated and increasingly complex world, the individual retains the capacity for meaningful political action."
It is in the interest of youths, to be active in national and international politics and also in protecting democracy and civilization.
It is insufficient that the state controls its citizens; the citizens must control both the state and themselves. Youths are valuable tools to safeguard against violation of basic human rights and government excesses if youths could take up their responsibilities and play their role as political actors during and after the transition process of their infant democracies.
Too long we have allowed politicians to judge us as not being fit for democracy because of our dormancy and political apathy. Yet it is understood that youths become fit for democracy through democracy.
The participation of youths in the process of democracy is urgent and inevitable form coast to coast in recent times. According to John W. Forje
" The current passivity of civil society has to be addressed. Civil society must become vibrant and act as the best custodian of democracy. Partnership between the civil society and the state must be established to create a sustainable and forward moving society. The impetus for political renewal and resistances towards authoritarian domination in Africa is coming form the civil society"
In a youth politicized society the idiosyncrasy is that it produces a civil society with a much stronger sense of political efficacy.
An instance of this was in Cameroon in the 1990s, where caught up with the wide spread information on multiparty politics youth put up a coordinated front in support for the launching of the Social Democratic Front (SDF), main opposition party in the country. Presumably the presence of multi party politics has led to some degree of freedom and liberty in that country.
Even in systems where the decision making power of the legislative is weak or nonexistence, an organized youth structure and a coordinated youth front can mount sufficient pressure on the government to democratize.
Providing Intermediary Political Link
To push through the democratic culture youths can take up the challenge of establishing a political link or cord, linking the local population with other stakeholders during the process of democratic transition.
To safeguard against blind political participation and manipulation by incumbent government. This link should be put in place to correctly educate the local population on what democracy is and what democracy intrinsically guarantees. By this action citizens will be able not only to participate but also to judge and monitor the development of their country’s democracy.
Incumbent governments will always fight to tailor the transition process to their favor by centralizing the process and other democratic activities. To undermine such instances of political monopoly youths should be empowered to take democracy further inland in their societies.
This effort will be to secure that each and every citizen is informed and educated on the principles of democracy.
It is in the absence of such exercises that most insurgencies make the hinterlands and remote communities their strongholds. Where they understand the local community has virtually little or no knowledge about democracy and its benefits.
To have any chance at all for peace and non violence in societies that are just about embracing the culture of democracy, young people in these societies have to carry both the literature and principle of democracy along side their government to their peripheral communities, villages or hamlets and refugee camps. And courageous expose them to it.
Perhaps the peripheral communities or hamlets will have a second chance to substitute thoughts about violence for peace and dialogue.
Colman McCarthy (1999: C04) explained that
“ Violence is not only physically attacking others but is also leaving the poor unassisted, allowing racism to flourish and imprisonment to those who are most in need of assistance”.
Supporting the Exercise of their Rights and Freedom
Nelson Mandela while hiding underground on 26 June 1961 made a statement that;
“ No power on earth can stop an oppressed people determined to win freedom {yet} …only through hardship, sacrifice and militant action can freedom be won…for my own part I have made my choice. I will not leave South Africa, nor will I surrender…I will continue fighting for freedom until the end of my days”
Freedom of expression is the cornerstone of democracy. The exercise of our rights and freedom unflinchingly, is what checks and balances government in a 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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