The Sunday News
Micheal Mhlanga
It is axiomatic to posit that there is a linkage between youth and national development.
This intercourse is not only symbiotically connected; but, one depends on the other for its sustenance. Therefore, the role of youths on national development cannot be over emphasised. The wheel of development of any country lies on the shoulder of how productive and creative the youthful populations are.
The youth in any society are the engine of growth and development; because, they provide the labour force for production of goods and services to take effect, above all they have numbers — that is their lobbying power. More so, they are the critical masses of people, whose action and inaction can develop or destroy the hegemonies/fabrics of their society.
Some past series of this column have articulated the dire need of a fusion of generations, the missing link in our politics and the need for age specific offices which require new energy and young experience.
To say the least, all those series have drawn a new readership which is not only interested in youth development but desperate for a new thinking paradigm in our youth politics. Needless to say, this week, I want to speak to the young Zimbabwean out there — The Key Voter.
The sad tomorrow or today’s leaders’ dilemma
This quantum of population is a great asset for the Zimbabwean state if they are harnessed and utilised in the right direction. Interestingly, the transition of society from one generation to another is critical to the formative and developmental aspiration of such society.
That is why societies that prepare their youth for the sake of future aspiration will not only secure her future development; but, will prepare her next set of leaders with the challenges of national reconciliation and development.
So, therefore, the role of youths in national development is sacrosanct to the whole developmental aspiration of any society. The youths are the cornerstone to societal rejuvenation. Societies are not only recreated through the youthful population, but, youths are often referred to as leaders of tomorrow. The youths bulge represents both a challenge and an opportunity for development.
Our own scourge without a panacea
I don’t want to deodorise any odour, in Zimbabwe, like many African countries, many of the youths who are productive and energetic remain unemployed, continue to suffer from poor health, and lack sufficient support. Some of them have special needs that require attention.
These include those living on the streets, those living with HIV/Aids, the girls and those with disabilities. It is definite to say that we will not experience development when the preponderance of the population that constitutes the largest percentage of the population are idle and ineffective even when NetOne, a telecommunications company responds to the promise of the two million jobs by at least offering 20 000.
Youths have a greater role to play on national development. Optimistically, by 2030, Zimbabwe can reap the benefits of what some called a “demographic dividend” if it invests now in human development.
The responsibility of ensuring that the aspirations and hopes of the youths are met lies with a multiplicity of stakeholders.
Everyone in the community, both young and old, must play their role, for a moment let us be blind to political and ethnic innuendos that dominate our communal relations. In fact, the Zimbabwean youths, not current politics is the future of our country in the 21st century.
Numbers don’t lie, people choose to.
We have always believed that young people between the ages of 15 and 35 constitute two-thirds of Africa’s population.
However, youth’s influence on national politics remains limited.
Truth be told, there is a general sense that traditional politics and representative democracy; whereby voters determine the outcome of power struggles at the ballot box fail to attract the attention of younger cohorts who feel alienated from political processes.
Participating in political processes influence subsequent action in national development, however, most young people don’t see it that way.
Undoubtedly, the challenges for youths that are central to Zimbabwe’s economic development are numerous and varied — they include employment, health and political participation amongst a plethora.
What has consumed our young people?
Most of the active young people in Zimbabwe have been consumed by active politics. Much time is spent either online sharing political hashtags or following prominent politicians on Twitter.
This on its own has bred a culture of cultism which negates more pressing issues that affect them daily. I argue that sometimes politics takes away the best of us such that whenever we make political decisions we substitute our rationale with individual loyalty.
In politics, loyalty is a valuable currency but absence of rationale to accommodate political allegiance and ethnic religiosity in decision making is catastrophic. During my weekly information snack I came across very sad knowledge.
Did you know that According to UNO each day, about 6 000 youths in the world are infected with HIV, the majority of whom are young women in developing countries. Each year youths also experience more than 100 million new cases of sexually transmitted infections, which increase their risk of HIV.
Young women have high rates of unintended pregnancy, as many as 40 percent of adolescent pregnancies particularly in Southern Africa are unintended — shocking! Isn’t it?
In low and middle-income countries, complications from pregnancy are the leading cause of death among young women aged 15 to 19, and their maternal death rates are twice as high as for older women.
Shocking as it is, if only youths’ participation in politics would relegate violence and bargain for political strategies that provide youths with access to reproductive health education, services where they are welcomed, accurate and comprehensive information which will empower them to make healthy decisions. Alas! We think less of that as if after hating and fighting all these ills will disappear.
Senzeni Na?
Let us acknowledge the role of the youths in the peace and security of a nation. As the most active segment of any society, youths are the major determiners of peace and stability of a nation.
Conversely, the degree of disorderliness and instability in society is also determined in part by youths. Peace is a precursor of development.
The absence of peace means that no meaningful development can take place. In the light of the foregoing, the crucial issue of creating an enabling environment for the youths to bring their productive capacity and resourcefulness to bear on the political and developmental process should be accorded priority attention.
Given the right climate therefore, let us consider this as the role expectation of Zimbabwean youths in the political and developmental process: The youths should parade itself as agents of political socialisation.
By political socialisation, I mean the way in which political values are formed and the political culture is defused in the society. This socialisation process ultimately determines how individuals form their political attitudes, and thus, collectively, how citizens form their political culture.
The learning process that is so fundamental to political maturity must start from the grassroots. Grassroot politics will afford the youths the opportunity to identify with the masses, appreciate their problems and master the terrain.
In a blossomed democracy like ours, grassroot apprenticeship rather than glorified “messenger” under the tutelage of bankrupt political ideologists offer the best training ground for the youth.
In the meantime we need new minds, not new names.
-To be continued.
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