Youth Participation in the Democratic Process
Muhammad Mohsin Iqbal
October 08, 2009
There is a general consensus that young people often feel excluded from participation in electoral processes. Young people aged 16 and younger in particular, appear to be disengaged in politics and democratic processes. However, as young people develop towards adulthood and their responsibilities increase and social and family ties change there appears to be both an awareness and acceptance of their participation in the electoral process.
Young people´s attitudes towards politicians appear to hinder engagement with many viewing them as remote, untrustworthy, self interested and unrepresentative of young people. Many young people believed that politicians are not address issues that mattered to them. This led to the perception that politicians do not care. Engaging young people is the challenge and initiatives have been developed to try and do so.
Young people´s views of the electoral process
Political Scientists noted that the lack of interest of youth in voting and elections are strongly correlated to a general disinterest in politics. Surveyors identified a range of possible reasons for young people´s apathy including:
Limited opportunities to participate in the political process;
Ignorance or lack of knowledge about how to participate;
Feeling they have better things to do;
Perceiving that there is a lack of interest in their views; and
Believing there is no point in voting because it is unlikely to bring about change.
Most of the young people frequently conceptualized politics in a limited and narrow way, and perceived the subject as boring and irrelevant to their current lives. Due to this perception of politics, many young people have no understanding or knowledge of the political process. Subsequently, young people do not actively seek information relating to political matters. More interestingly, the researchers concluded that because of young people´s narrow conception of what politics is, those that were engaging in actions that were political did not always perceive themselves as actively engaging in a political process.
General views on politics and politicians
Many of the views expressed by the young people concerning politics in general are negative. There is an attitude that politicians do not listen to them or regard the issues they are concerned with as being important. This feeling of being ignored frustrated some of the young people who felt that they do have something to contribute to politics. However, the overriding view among the vast majority of young people is that politics is boring and complicated. The fact that many young people viewed politics as too complicated meant that they were not encouraged to become involved or to seek more information.
Other negative views expressed by the young people included a belief that politics is ´a joke´ and indeed ´a farce´ and that it is just ´boring old men arguing all the time´. Some young people also said that they found politics and the topics discussed depressing with an emphasis on ´doom and gloom´ issues. Many also referred to a degree of deceit and injustice around politics with it being difficult to trust what was being said.
There is a perception that politics are all about arguments and debates, with politicians being stubborn and considering themselves to be always right. However, some young people do express a keen interest in politics and generally assumed that they are apathetic. But the second opinion is that ´Young people are not apathetic about issues and indeed can even be angry about issues. However it is the linkage between politics and the issues which causes the problem, as young people do not think it will make any difference.
Engaging young people in the electoral process
A number of programs and initiatives should be introduced in an attempt to enhance young people´s participation in the electoral process. The Parliament, Provincial Assemblies, Election Commission and NGOs must contribute these programs and initiatives. Every school should reorganize their debating societies to encourage politics in youngster. Parents must accompany their children when they casting their vote in polling station. It is a moral duty of every parent to arrange newspaper for their children and encourage watching political talk shows in television. The introduction of citizenship education in secondary schools should be developed which may help encourage young people to become more involved in the democratic process.
Issues affecting engagement
Compulsory voting
There are at least nineteen countries which have some form of compulsory voting including 5 EU countries (Table below). One other country is Australia where all citizens, 18 years of age and over, are required by law to both enroll for voting and attend a polling place at election times in all federal, state and territory elections. If an enrolled citizen is unable to give a legitimate reason for not voting a fine or possible prison sentence can be imposed. The arguments for compulsory voting include:
It is a civic duty;
It encourages political participation; and
It increases the legitimacy of those elected.
However, those against compulsory voting feel that it is undemocratic to force people to vote, it forces those with little interest or knowledge in politics to vote, and it increases the number of spoiled ballots.
Countries which have some form of compulsory voting
Argentina Guatemala
Austria Honduras
Australia Liechtenstein
Belgium Luxembourg
Bolivia Panama
Brazil Philippines
Cyprus Singapore
Switzerland Dominican Republic
Egypt Uruguay
Greece Venezuela
Programmes and initiatives adopted in other countries
Trying to find further ways to encourage young people to participate in the electoral process is not unique to the United Kingdom. In the USA there is a strong view that young people are not participating in civic life in large numbers. Approximately 33% of 18-24 year olds turned out to vote in the USA Presidential election in 2000 similar to the turnout in the UK during the 2001 Westminster elections (39%). This was a record low turnout for an American election and part of a twenty-five year trend of decline. In a review of the various programmes and initiatives that individual States in the USA have developed to encourage youth participation in the electoral process, it emerged that several States:
Send birthday cards to residents turning 18 encouraging them to vote;
Provide voter registration cards at high schools and colleges;
Visit schools to demonstrate electronic voting machines and hold registrations;
Recruit young people as poll workers;
Hold mock elections in colleges and youth centers; and
Provide outreach materials and support to schools on the electoral process
In Denmark there is a view that young people of today tend to be less active in nearly all areas of public decision-making which affects the representative democracy as well as a whole range of other public institutions. Young people have the opportunity to vote at the age of 18 however education for democratic citizenship and participation begins long before this. Student Councils from fifth grade up (aged 11+) are mandatory in Danish schools. The basis of the councils are that students develop and set the agendas with school elections being held at the beginning of each year for suitable representatives thus getting students familiar with the election process.
Evaluation and Recommendations
The young people also felt that holding workshop sessions with politicians should be considered. These sessions would give young people an opportunity to ask politicians a variety of questions and also to get to know them better. The young people also suggested that information on politics and voting should be placed in establishments that young people would frequent such as clubs, universities and schools. Again it was emphasised that this information should be presented in a ´youth friendly way´.
Recommendations:
1. More education for young people on politics, elections and voting through various mediums such as schools and youth groups.
2. The Election Commission to engage in a programme for schools providing information workshops.
Pakistan and Youth
Involvement in the democratic process among young people in Pakistan has been poor and has prompted much discussion as to how young people can be actively encouraged to both register for and vote during elections.
The role of youth in the rebuilding of Pakistan should be envisaged and elaborated in such a way that it becomes easy to address the grievances and suggest ways out of it, so that a new era of dawn can be started. Since the creation of Pakistan, the Pakistani are deprived of their basic right to rule this country according to their aspiration and dream. At the same time, the real strength for the development along with their internal skill i.e. the youth power of Pakistan was left alone in isolation at the mercy of circumstances and their basic right to get the development opportunity without any discrimination was denied. Pakistan is a country of diversified culture and traditions. Pakistan is a melting pot of creative ideas and god gifted skill. But it needs organized planning and a system to develop and utilize these skills for rapid development in industrialization and agricultural sector.
Youth Parliament in Pakistan
Pakistan needs to strengthen its democratic institutions and inculcate democratic culture in the society. We need to discourage extremist tendencies and lack of tolerance for others´ beliefs and views and strengthen the rule of law. Open and informed debate on issues facing the society should be promoted. The society should develop tools, mechanisms and systems which can facilitate the exposure of democratic system to its citizens from an early stage.
The Government recently announced the National Youth Policy for 2005-2007 and has been organizing workshops to disseminate and share the policy, which is a positive step. According to the last population census in 1998, there were 13.2 million males and females in the age of 15-19, 11.5 million between 20-24, 9.6 million between 25-29 and 8.1 million between 30-34 years old. About 52 percent of these were male and 48 percent females of which 64 percent lived in rural and 36 percent in urban areas, while 38 percent were males and 63 percent females were illiterate.
According to these figures, about 21.3 percent of Pakistan's population fell between the age group of 20 to 24 years, with the government assessing that in 2005, Pakistan's youth population is close to 55 million -- a significant portion of the population, which needs investment of all kinds of resources. However, this investment must be based on a policy that considers youth the present, and not just the future. The youth policy in its present form perhaps does not make that distinction and has a number of contradictions within it.
The first section of the policy perspective of the National Youth Policy states: "The National Youth Policy provides a foundation for youth participation in socio-economic development recognizing that young people should be agents of their own change, transformation and development, not merely recipients of state support and benevolence."
So far so good: instead of the State doling out favours and aid, it considers young people enterprising enough to create opportunities for themselves given the right environment and space, and reflects the belief that entrepreneurship among young people should be encouraged and facilitated. However, this message is countered by the following statement: "It is understood that youth development cannot be left to the young people alone." But if young people are not proactively involved in their progress and development then who else will?
Another glaring contradiction flows from the very vision of the National Youth Policy that begins:
A future for all youth Pakistanis which is free from any type of discriminations in promoting a democratic, enlightened and prosperous Islamic Republic of Pakistan, where young women and men can enjoy a full, abundant, free and safe life enabling them to become active participants in all those activities which fulfil their potential, hopes, dreams and ambitions leading to full integration in economic, social, cultural and the spiritual life of society.
This vision is supposed to be translated through various action plans and key strategic areas involving various departments and civil society actors, but what's missing from it is the political participation and growth of youth. The vision talks about the youth's "full integration in economic, social, cultural and spiritual life of society" but not political life. If this is a deliberate omission, it suggests that 55 million Pakistani are being facilitated to integrate in all sectors but politics. A particularly surprising view, considering it is drafted by a government that reduced the voting age to 18.
Perhaps it is an oversight rather than a deliberate omission, as the Key Strategies areas (the framework for the action plan) clearly mentions political participation of the youth as a key strategic area. However, the policy is silent on how these areas would actually be focused on, particularly political participation. The Policy talks about setting up cultural assemblies but fails to identify political participation as a key need for young people.
This ambiguity is further exacerbated by the declaration that the youth policy is being formulated because, "Pakistan is experiencing multiple upswings in its economy, politics, governance, media and civil society... Examples are of the last several years of the economic track record and neo-democratisation since 2002. This scenario calls for investment in young people."
What "neo-democratisation" means is not clear, but if it means investment in democratic political processes then the policy has to be clear on how to involve young people in these processes.
Government policies with reference to young people are being drafted and reviewed since 1989, when the Youth Affairs Division was first created. It is encouraging that the 55 million youth of Pakistan are being focused upon but this focus should be realistic and holistic. A policy that does not strategize on how to facilitate young people to be active and informed citizens is a policy that is going nowhere. This needs to be seriously addressed.
To engage youth in Pakistan in healthy discourse and expose them to the democratic process and practices, PILDAT (NGO) has launched the project of Youth Parliament Pakistan. The first ever Youth Parliament Pakistan was launched in 2007. Members of Youth Parliament Pakistan are selected for duration of a year at a time. The specific objectives of Youth Parliament Pakistan are to educate Pakistani Youth about politics and democracy and to demonstrate to them how Parliaments are able:
to do legislation;
to debate matters of national and international concern;
to demand accountability from those in government;
to discuss legislation in committee;
to change government without recourse to civil disorder; and
to make and enforce their own rules of conduct.
In addition Youth parliament Pakistan serves as a useful forum to voice views of the Youth about a range of national and international issues. The debates in the Youth Parliament Pakistan are meant to not only help the young members in their personal development as a useful citizen, these also serve the purpose of articulating views of the youth on vital issues facing the nation and conveying these to the Government.
As a model Parliament for young people, the Youth Parliament Pakistan is patterned after the National Assembly of Pakistan although its membership is smaller than that of the National Assembly. Wherever possible, the Youth Parliament of Pakistan follows the rules of procedures as close to the National Assembly as practical. However, better practices from other Parliaments are adopted to expose Pakistani Youth to better parliamentary practices. The total membership of Youth Parliament Pakistan 2008-09 is 62. Gender profile of the Youth Parliament Pakistan represents 80% Male and 20% Female on open merit.
The Youth Parliament Pakistan Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business are specially drafted learning from the National Assembly of Pakistan Rules and from other Youth Parliaments around the World. Rules of Procedures and Manual of Youth Parliament Pakistan are provided to new members at the time of Orientation after their selection. Youth Parliament Pakistan elects a six member cabinet and a shadow cabinet along with six Standing Committees and a Business Advisory Committee. The Youth Parliament Pakistan meets for at least 30 days at 05 sessions in a year. Members are to act in a dignified manner throughout the proceedings of Youth Parliament Pakistan and not act in a way which is unbecoming of their stature.
Young people´s attitudes towards politicians appear to hinder engagement with many viewing them as remote, untrustworthy, self interested and unrepresentative of young people. Many young people believed that politicians are not address issues that mattered to them. This led to the perception that politicians do not care. Engaging young people is the challenge and initiatives have been developed to try and do so.
Young people´s views of the electoral process
Political Scientists noted that the lack of interest of youth in voting and elections are strongly correlated to a general disinterest in politics. Surveyors identified a range of possible reasons for young people´s apathy including:
Limited opportunities to participate in the political process;
Ignorance or lack of knowledge about how to participate;
Feeling they have better things to do;
Perceiving that there is a lack of interest in their views; and
Believing there is no point in voting because it is unlikely to bring about change.
Most of the young people frequently conceptualized politics in a limited and narrow way, and perceived the subject as boring and irrelevant to their current lives. Due to this perception of politics, many young people have no understanding or knowledge of the political process. Subsequently, young people do not actively seek information relating to political matters. More interestingly, the researchers concluded that because of young people´s narrow conception of what politics is, those that were engaging in actions that were political did not always perceive themselves as actively engaging in a political process.
General views on politics and politicians
Many of the views expressed by the young people concerning politics in general are negative. There is an attitude that politicians do not listen to them or regard the issues they are concerned with as being important. This feeling of being ignored frustrated some of the young people who felt that they do have something to contribute to politics. However, the overriding view among the vast majority of young people is that politics is boring and complicated. The fact that many young people viewed politics as too complicated meant that they were not encouraged to become involved or to seek more information.
Other negative views expressed by the young people included a belief that politics is ´a joke´ and indeed ´a farce´ and that it is just ´boring old men arguing all the time´. Some young people also said that they found politics and the topics discussed depressing with an emphasis on ´doom and gloom´ issues. Many also referred to a degree of deceit and injustice around politics with it being difficult to trust what was being said.
There is a perception that politics are all about arguments and debates, with politicians being stubborn and considering themselves to be always right. However, some young people do express a keen interest in politics and generally assumed that they are apathetic. But the second opinion is that ´Young people are not apathetic about issues and indeed can even be angry about issues. However it is the linkage between politics and the issues which causes the problem, as young people do not think it will make any difference.
Engaging young people in the electoral process
A number of programs and initiatives should be introduced in an attempt to enhance young people´s participation in the electoral process. The Parliament, Provincial Assemblies, Election Commission and NGOs must contribute these programs and initiatives. Every school should reorganize their debating societies to encourage politics in youngster. Parents must accompany their children when they casting their vote in polling station. It is a moral duty of every parent to arrange newspaper for their children and encourage watching political talk shows in television. The introduction of citizenship education in secondary schools should be developed which may help encourage young people to become more involved in the democratic process.
Issues affecting engagement
Compulsory voting
There are at least nineteen countries which have some form of compulsory voting including 5 EU countries (Table below). One other country is Australia where all citizens, 18 years of age and over, are required by law to both enroll for voting and attend a polling place at election times in all federal, state and territory elections. If an enrolled citizen is unable to give a legitimate reason for not voting a fine or possible prison sentence can be imposed. The arguments for compulsory voting include:
It is a civic duty;
It encourages political participation; and
It increases the legitimacy of those elected.
However, those against compulsory voting feel that it is undemocratic to force people to vote, it forces those with little interest or knowledge in politics to vote, and it increases the number of spoiled ballots.
Countries which have some form of compulsory voting
Argentina Guatemala
Austria Honduras
Australia Liechtenstein
Belgium Luxembourg
Bolivia Panama
Brazil Philippines
Cyprus Singapore
Switzerland Dominican Republic
Egypt Uruguay
Greece Venezuela
Programmes and initiatives adopted in other countries
Trying to find further ways to encourage young people to participate in the electoral process is not unique to the United Kingdom. In the USA there is a strong view that young people are not participating in civic life in large numbers. Approximately 33% of 18-24 year olds turned out to vote in the USA Presidential election in 2000 similar to the turnout in the UK during the 2001 Westminster elections (39%). This was a record low turnout for an American election and part of a twenty-five year trend of decline. In a review of the various programmes and initiatives that individual States in the USA have developed to encourage youth participation in the electoral process, it emerged that several States:
Send birthday cards to residents turning 18 encouraging them to vote;
Provide voter registration cards at high schools and colleges;
Visit schools to demonstrate electronic voting machines and hold registrations;
Recruit young people as poll workers;
Hold mock elections in colleges and youth centers; and
Provide outreach materials and support to schools on the electoral process
In Denmark there is a view that young people of today tend to be less active in nearly all areas of public decision-making which affects the representative democracy as well as a whole range of other public institutions. Young people have the opportunity to vote at the age of 18 however education for democratic citizenship and participation begins long before this. Student Councils from fifth grade up (aged 11+) are mandatory in Danish schools. The basis of the councils are that students develop and set the agendas with school elections being held at the beginning of each year for suitable representatives thus getting students familiar with the election process.
Evaluation and Recommendations
The young people also felt that holding workshop sessions with politicians should be considered. These sessions would give young people an opportunity to ask politicians a variety of questions and also to get to know them better. The young people also suggested that information on politics and voting should be placed in establishments that young people would frequent such as clubs, universities and schools. Again it was emphasised that this information should be presented in a ´youth friendly way´.
Recommendations:
1. More education for young people on politics, elections and voting through various mediums such as schools and youth groups.
2. The Election Commission to engage in a programme for schools providing information workshops.
Pakistan and Youth
Involvement in the democratic process among young people in Pakistan has been poor and has prompted much discussion as to how young people can be actively encouraged to both register for and vote during elections.
The role of youth in the rebuilding of Pakistan should be envisaged and elaborated in such a way that it becomes easy to address the grievances and suggest ways out of it, so that a new era of dawn can be started. Since the creation of Pakistan, the Pakistani are deprived of their basic right to rule this country according to their aspiration and dream. At the same time, the real strength for the development along with their internal skill i.e. the youth power of Pakistan was left alone in isolation at the mercy of circumstances and their basic right to get the development opportunity without any discrimination was denied. Pakistan is a country of diversified culture and traditions. Pakistan is a melting pot of creative ideas and god gifted skill. But it needs organized planning and a system to develop and utilize these skills for rapid development in industrialization and agricultural sector.
Youth Parliament in Pakistan
Pakistan needs to strengthen its democratic institutions and inculcate democratic culture in the society. We need to discourage extremist tendencies and lack of tolerance for others´ beliefs and views and strengthen the rule of law. Open and informed debate on issues facing the society should be promoted. The society should develop tools, mechanisms and systems which can facilitate the exposure of democratic system to its citizens from an early stage.
The Government recently announced the National Youth Policy for 2005-2007 and has been organizing workshops to disseminate and share the policy, which is a positive step. According to the last population census in 1998, there were 13.2 million males and females in the age of 15-19, 11.5 million between 20-24, 9.6 million between 25-29 and 8.1 million between 30-34 years old. About 52 percent of these were male and 48 percent females of which 64 percent lived in rural and 36 percent in urban areas, while 38 percent were males and 63 percent females were illiterate.
According to these figures, about 21.3 percent of Pakistan's population fell between the age group of 20 to 24 years, with the government assessing that in 2005, Pakistan's youth population is close to 55 million -- a significant portion of the population, which needs investment of all kinds of resources. However, this investment must be based on a policy that considers youth the present, and not just the future. The youth policy in its present form perhaps does not make that distinction and has a number of contradictions within it.
The first section of the policy perspective of the National Youth Policy states: "The National Youth Policy provides a foundation for youth participation in socio-economic development recognizing that young people should be agents of their own change, transformation and development, not merely recipients of state support and benevolence."
So far so good: instead of the State doling out favours and aid, it considers young people enterprising enough to create opportunities for themselves given the right environment and space, and reflects the belief that entrepreneurship among young people should be encouraged and facilitated. However, this message is countered by the following statement: "It is understood that youth development cannot be left to the young people alone." But if young people are not proactively involved in their progress and development then who else will?
Another glaring contradiction flows from the very vision of the National Youth Policy that begins:
A future for all youth Pakistanis which is free from any type of discriminations in promoting a democratic, enlightened and prosperous Islamic Republic of Pakistan, where young women and men can enjoy a full, abundant, free and safe life enabling them to become active participants in all those activities which fulfil their potential, hopes, dreams and ambitions leading to full integration in economic, social, cultural and the spiritual life of society.
This vision is supposed to be translated through various action plans and key strategic areas involving various departments and civil society actors, but what's missing from it is the political participation and growth of youth. The vision talks about the youth's "full integration in economic, social, cultural and spiritual life of society" but not political life. If this is a deliberate omission, it suggests that 55 million Pakistani are being facilitated to integrate in all sectors but politics. A particularly surprising view, considering it is drafted by a government that reduced the voting age to 18.
Perhaps it is an oversight rather than a deliberate omission, as the Key Strategies areas (the framework for the action plan) clearly mentions political participation of the youth as a key strategic area. However, the policy is silent on how these areas would actually be focused on, particularly political participation. The Policy talks about setting up cultural assemblies but fails to identify political participation as a key need for young people.
This ambiguity is further exacerbated by the declaration that the youth policy is being formulated because, "Pakistan is experiencing multiple upswings in its economy, politics, governance, media and civil society... Examples are of the last several years of the economic track record and neo-democratisation since 2002. This scenario calls for investment in young people."
What "neo-democratisation" means is not clear, but if it means investment in democratic political processes then the policy has to be clear on how to involve young people in these processes.
Government policies with reference to young people are being drafted and reviewed since 1989, when the Youth Affairs Division was first created. It is encouraging that the 55 million youth of Pakistan are being focused upon but this focus should be realistic and holistic. A policy that does not strategize on how to facilitate young people to be active and informed citizens is a policy that is going nowhere. This needs to be seriously addressed.
To engage youth in Pakistan in healthy discourse and expose them to the democratic process and practices, PILDAT (NGO) has launched the project of Youth Parliament Pakistan. The first ever Youth Parliament Pakistan was launched in 2007. Members of Youth Parliament Pakistan are selected for duration of a year at a time. The specific objectives of Youth Parliament Pakistan are to educate Pakistani Youth about politics and democracy and to demonstrate to them how Parliaments are able:
to do legislation;
to debate matters of national and international concern;
to demand accountability from those in government;
to discuss legislation in committee;
to change government without recourse to civil disorder; and
to make and enforce their own rules of conduct.
In addition Youth parliament Pakistan serves as a useful forum to voice views of the Youth about a range of national and international issues. The debates in the Youth Parliament Pakistan are meant to not only help the young members in their personal development as a useful citizen, these also serve the purpose of articulating views of the youth on vital issues facing the nation and conveying these to the Government.
As a model Parliament for young people, the Youth Parliament Pakistan is patterned after the National Assembly of Pakistan although its membership is smaller than that of the National Assembly. Wherever possible, the Youth Parliament of Pakistan follows the rules of procedures as close to the National Assembly as practical. However, better practices from other Parliaments are adopted to expose Pakistani Youth to better parliamentary practices. The total membership of Youth Parliament Pakistan 2008-09 is 62. Gender profile of the Youth Parliament Pakistan represents 80% Male and 20% Female on open merit.
The Youth Parliament Pakistan Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business are specially drafted learning from the National Assembly of Pakistan Rules and from other Youth Parliaments around the World. Rules of Procedures and Manual of Youth Parliament Pakistan are provided to new members at the time of Orientation after their selection. Youth Parliament Pakistan elects a six member cabinet and a shadow cabinet along with six Standing Committees and a Business Advisory Committee. The Youth Parliament Pakistan meets for at least 30 days at 05 sessions in a year. Members are to act in a dignified manner throughout the proceedings of Youth Parliament Pakistan and not act in a way which is unbecoming of their stature.
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