The lost generation

Namibians will once again go to the polls towards the end of next year to elect the country's president, as well as new National Assembly members.

In the run-up to the elections politicians will come out of their cocoons while bellowing hollow electoral promises to various constituencies. The youth vote in particular is of keen interest to political parties who will have to adjust their campaign messages to target potential young voters. Young people still hold the key, as they make up the majority of voters, although there is still a huge percentage of the voting population who are unwilling to participate in democratic process. There are also young people who are disillusioned with electoral politics and feel let down by the ruling elite. Young people's concerns include the burden of unemployment and other social challenges, while the lack of access to quality education has doomed this lost generation to a life of poverty and misery. The young people in this country are confronted by many socio-economic problems and most of those sitting at home want to know how their leaders will endeavor to create jobs, address housing and tackle education and healthcare issues. It is saddening that those elected to promote the youth agenda have allowed this marginalisation to continue and are unable to lift the hapless young people out of despair. They have failed to engage with the youth and poor communities of this nation, and that is unfortunate. Also shocking is that there are no issues being raised by the country's future leaders, who are mostly interested in hosting braais and cementing their places as blue-eyed boys of leading politicians. Young people are continually getting the short end of the stick, as evidenced by the recent huge reduction in the sport and youth ministry's budget. Young people should not be treated as mere voting cattle, and they must assert themselves as a very important demographic in the upcoming general elections. Critically, there must be a holistic approach to help improve the capacity of young people, while developing their potential in key areas such as education, employment and decision-making processes across all economic sectors.