Times Of Swaziland: YOUTH HAS LOST THE PLOT

YOUTH HAS LOST THE PLOT
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The Editor on 08/08/2019 23:58:00


Sir,
Last week I was talking with a friend about the Eswatini youth. We talked about
issues bordering around socio-political issues and how the youth fared.
Hypothetically speaking, ‘the youth’ should be the driver of
transformational change in a society.
But what happens when the youth sleeps? In the Eswatini context, the youth
constitutes the vast majority of the entire population, which gives them the
power to influence.
One day on a night out in Eswatini, I visited a nightclub; I think clubs have
become crusades with the largest gathering being the youth, who drink, smoke and
dance. I noticed that our youths have completely lost the plot and are now
living in the greatest denial of ignorance and deceit.
Abandoned
Even though they have been abandoned in the corridors of power, there have been
no clear indications that they are prepared to lead or be led. They say the
fruit does not fall far from the tree, their inability to either identify or
support competent leaders is a true reflection of their mediocre standard and
incompetence as a group.
They are constantly being marginalised and defaced because of their continuous
unwillingness to execute responsibilities that improve their lives. The baton
has been passed to them, yet they choose to ruin society by their actions and
inactions.
Ignorant
Our youth has become too ignorant to know that without a road map, the journey
is unknown. Some will ask, how do we build when there is no design? Sadly they
have been taught by religion that when faced with a problem, they should either
wait for God or leave it to Jesus. Of course we are a praying nation, but
don’t forget that we have a failing system as well. Prayer is a feature of
human life I agree, and there is the God factor in the affairs of man. There is
nothing wrong with praying, but there is everything wrong with relying on
prayers to achieve our desires, including those that God has given us like
brains and talent to use.
We cannot pray into existence the production of maize, beans, rice etc, we can
only produce them. God gave us brains, therefore we should use them wisely. To
be honest, the present day youth is yet to display any sign that they are indeed
different from the old folk we presently have as leaders.
X-raying the performances of certain present leaders, this administration in
particular, it becomes a mystery when they can analytically stoop low and
perform an expository surgery on socio-economic issues, but can’t seem to find
political bearings. There is an adage that states, he who rightly identifies a
problem should also be responsible for finding its solution. Perhaps they
understand how a skyscraper should look but can’t seem to figure out what the
foundation looks like.
Lifestyles
Don’t get me wrong, it is not my intention to critique lifestyles but the
truth is that the youth is giving up on everything. There is a dire need to
change the Eswatini youth narrative; they need to change their story! They need
to know what they are doing to themselves because they act like people without
responsibilities yet the future of the nation is in their hands.
Eswatini can be built when our various societies and communities experience a
significant transformation brought about by the most important group, ‘the
youth’. It is important we reduce our distractions, unlearn that which was
taught by harsh circumstances, develop self by acquiring needed skills, redesign
your future and build Eswatini.
Colleen Matsebula