Times Of Swaziland: AGE DOESN’T REPRESENT CAPACITY OF INDIVIDUAL

AGE DOESN’T REPRESENT CAPACITY OF INDIVIDUAL
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Editor on 01/06/2023 18:35:00


Sir,
The socio-economic challenges engulfing the country can only be solved when
young people realise that the future of the country solemnly lies in their hands
and that not everybody has a future but only those who prepare for it today by
standing up and confronting issues decisively and unapologetically. The argument
that government has failed dismally to empower young people in all aspects of
life, thus leading to many of them lying dormant and unused, is very correct and
precise but it’s of paramount importance that young people realise that it’s
not a matter of charity for government to fulfill that significant role but a
historic and social obligation on its part of which if it’s not fulfilling,
has to be coerced into.
Observed
Albert Einstein, one of the most critical thinkers to have graced the planet,
once observed that the world will not be destroyed by those who do evil but by
those who watch those doing the evil without stopping them. Likewise, the future
of the youth, which of course lies in jeopardy, will not be destroyed by the
incompetence of the Tinkhundla establishment neither it’s political
marginalisation of the youth and its consistent suppression of dissenting voices
but by the prolonged political inactivity of the youth, which then leaves the
anti-youth Tinkhundla regime to do as it pleases, in as far as the future is
concerned. Besides the fact that the Tinkhundla regime, as informed by its
anti-youth and calvinist tendencies, resulting in the perpetual ostracisation of
young people in political discussions, not necessarily because they lack
political depth in discussing such issues, but because government seriously
lacks the capacity to understand that age does not represent the capacity of an
individual to engage on political issues.
Focusing
Young people themselves, with the assistance of technological advances, have
systematically ensured that they have a long distance relationship with the
politics and economics of the country by narrowly focusing on crass materialism.
Young people are more conversant on petty issues. They find it easier to engage
on hip hop issues, gossiping and clubbing which is myopic and spells doom for
the country going forward. From a simplistic point of view, it would be easy to
say that young people must stand up and play a pivotal role to transform their
lives socially, economically and politically but from a critical analysis, it is
succinctly clear that first and foremost as young people our role is to, out of
our relative obscurity, discover our mission and then through our actions choose
to either fulfill or betray it.
Trapped
Our country is at cross roads; it is torn apart ideologically, mainly on what is
to be done politically. We are a nation that has no common developmental agenda
but is still trapped deep in a political quagmire trying to find its way out and
by the look of things, among others, with the arrogance of government, such will
drag for quite some time. Government has failed to bring forth a vibrant and
relevant youth structure to champion the interests of young people in the
country. There can be nothing for the youth without the youth getting involved
and the involvement of the youth will be an act of themselves. The
marginalisation of the youth by the State has to be challenged for we need a
government that will fulfill its constitutional obligation and serve without
question the interests of every citizen, in particular the young generation
since they represent the future.