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Challenges and Prospects of Youths in Democratization
Dr. Rabindra Khanal, Political Science Department, T.U
Youths are the pillars of nation. No nation can prosper or even survive without youth participation. They are the agents of social change as well as upholders of democracy. Their skill development and general welfare should be the prime concerns of national planning and ideals. The state should give top priority to the development of skills and knowledge of the youth population so that they can play a creative role in the process of democratization. This particular human resource, if used properly, is a great asset for the nation. The youths should be trained in every possible way to participate effectively in various political activities, development programs and nation-building process. However, in Nepal, they cannot be expected to participate effectively in the democratization process because of the following challenges they face in various fields.
Education: In terms of education the Nepali youths can be divided into four categories.
- youths educated abroad;
- youths educated in private institutions;
- youths educated in the public institutions in urban setting; and the
- youths educated in the public institutions in rural setting.
All these students have different orientation regarding their own life, society, political institutions and the role they are supposed to play in nation building and democratization process. Youths educated abroad constitute the most privileged lot because they mostly belong to the affluent class of society and are likely to hold better positions when they come back in real life. Youths educated in private institutions also feel themselves privileged and do not find it very difficult to acquire higher position in the job market. Youths educated in the urban public institutions also somehow manage to adjust themselves in society and can earn their living without much difficulty. But the rural youths can hardly manage to complete their education and even if they do they have to compete with more privileged students. This kind of disparity in education has created more gaps among the youths and has led the less privileged ones into desperation and frustration and ultimately to join the club of more frustrated people, notwithstanding the concepts of right or wrong. The school level education system and the SLC phobia have forced many young people to join insurgency in the recent years.
Social stratification: Social stratification is another challenge for youths in the process of democratization. As Rustow says, a precondition for democratization is national unity, but Nepal lacks it due to social stratification. Although law does not allow the stratification on the basis of caste, the practice is still there and the people of different castes are not able to live and work together. The Nepalese political system has not yet been able to bring Janajatis, Dalits, Adibasies, and other minorities in the main stream of politics and has thus failed to get their active support in the process of democratization. Social stratification is one of the major causes of dissatisfaction among the youths. They are often attracted to something new like Christianity or Maoist insurgency where they find regard and satisfaction. This encourages the politics of alienation among youths and debars them in involving themselves in the process of democratization.
Economic disparity: The present estimate of absolute poor in Nepal ranges between 50 to 60 percent of the total population or between 10 to 12 million people. 11
The ongoing Maoist insurgency has forced many industries to be closed. Farmers are not producing enough. The youths are either joining the Maoist movement or running away from the villages. They go to the urban centers of the country in search of work and those who can afford go abroad. They do not come back to their village. This has created more social and economic disparity and is likely to result in massive socio-economic and political transformation. The importance of the youths is now going to be felt more acutely than ever before.
Over-politicization of youth organizations: The youths have played very important role in every democratic movement in Nepal. They have been the major change agents in Nepalese politics but it seems that they have always been exploited. The political parties and their leaders use the youths for the immediate pressing needs and undermine them in the tasks of framing policies and nation-building. Youths have been used less for political socialization and political acculturation than in street demonstrations. In the long run, it has not helped the democratization process. The youths should be encouraged to pursue their vocations up to an extent. It is quite understandable, and perhaps desirable to in our situation, that the youths must be involved in politics, but they should not let themselves be exploited by anyone.
Effect of consumerism on youths: The growing consumerism in the country has attracts youths and allures them more and more toward a luxurious life. This perverts the young minds. Consumerism adversely affects the educational zeal of the young people. Social, political, moral, and ethical values get sidelined by the temptation toward the consumer goods. This phenomenon which has appeared in the past few years is having negative influence in the process of democratization. This has given the authoritarian rulers and leaders more chances to allure the youths, divide them and exploit them as they wish.
Lack of proper guidance for the youths: Despite having many short comings in the mobilization of youth force, they are still the most effective change agents and the most engaged generation ever. 12
They are volunteering at higher numbers today than in previous generations. College students are protesting more than their parents against the social and political evils and yet their movements have not been able to produce anything concrete. The movements are wasted because they are unorganized and based on hooliganism. If the youth movements are to help the process of democratization, they need to be properly guided by more mature politicians and their ideals.
Effect of Maoist insurgency for the youths: Maoist insurgency has affected all aspects of the Nepali society. It has deprived the youths from enjoying the constitutional rights regarding freedom of movement, freedom of choice in relation to their vocation, expression, belief and so on. The rural youths are displaced from their villages where as the urban youths go abroad not seeing any future prospects in this country. The conflict has also encouraged more politicization of youth activities as a result no one is willing to do any constructive work for the social, political and economic development. In this situation, the process of democratization cannot go any further until the situation is corrected and the youths are motivated to work for peace.
There are a number of other challenges that the youths today are facing in the process of democratization but if peace is restored most of these challenges will turn into opportunities. Youths who have been abroad would find enough prospects to come back and utilize the skill and knowledge they have acquired. Youths engaged in insurgency can be made accountable in the national reconstruction. Once the political conflict is settled and the nation takes a definite course of action, a lot of burden that the youths are taking would be eased. They will only have to be alert that the nation will not return to this unwanted political turmoil again and democracy would be achieved ultimately.
11 Biswa Keshar Maskey, (ed.), Social Development in Nepal, United Nations Association in Nepal, Kathmandu, p.83.
12 Cynthia Gibson, From Inspiration to participation: A Review of Perspectives on Youth Civic Engagement, New York: The Grantmaker Forum on community and National Service, November 2001
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