AGE DOESN’T REPRESENT CAPACITY OF INDIVIDUAL
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.
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