Essential: Youth participation in Namibian politics

Namibia has had a long history of youth battling and crying out for independence – which was attained through youth participation.

But it has become taboo in modern times for the youth to do so.

When one asks what the youth can do to facilitate leadership and subsequently take over, the answer often tends to be that they are simply not ready. Now, is it not right to say that when your children are not ready to lead when you get old, you simply have not raised and prepared them well for their own leadership roles?

How long will the youth remain 'the future', if, when the time comes, they are told they are not ready? Some have been waiting for that future for so long that they are now getting old and might equally frustrate the generation after them.

The idea should be about evolving and learning from the old to upgrade into the new, and so on, but it is evident that there is a blockage in this development.

Succession challenges

Leadership today is not passed on as it should be. Rather, the elders hold on till kingdom comes (and kingdom seems not to come), with excuses of calling the youth immature and not ready.

One would ask time and again, who prepared them when they were young, and who questioned their mistakes when they were attempting to learn from those mistakes?

The youth age bracket seems misunderstood, and it has become common to find older individuals calling themselves youths or rather occupying youth leadership positions.

What can one really say to justify the fact that our minister of sports, youth and national service does not fall in those brackets, and not even closely? No wonder we are not progressive. Is the ministry well enough understood by its leader to show positive results? Do they understand the generation they represent?

Youth ends at 35, but we do not take that into consideration because of what we have become accustomed to.

Next generation

Eeshoke Chula Chula Football Club has emerged to give life support to our dying sports scenes (specifically soccer) and to redirect our youth from drugs and alcohol. The club even inspired former Namibia Football Association secretary-general Barry Rukoro to make remarks that sparked a national debate.

The point is that youth engagement is vital, keeps youngsters off the streets, and serves as a tool to groom future leaders.

Our sports scene has struggled, and if a root-cause analysis is done, it will most likely point the finger straight to the appointment of leaders.

Understanding and knowledge of an era influence leadership. Who better to understand today's era than those who are from that era?

Please give the youth their flowers while they can smell them – what they do with the flowers is for them to determine.

Many Namibians have given it their best with their contribution to the country's development, and that deserves applause.

However, it does the country no good if criticism is not taken on board to advance development. Truth be told, just as everything has a lifespan, so do leadership terms. It’s time to check the best-before date.

Namibian laws

We live by yesteryear laws, a clear indication that we are still grounded in the years we claim to have left behind. A better understanding and acceptance of change and a voluntary handover to the energetic youth are now necessary. Allow them to do their part before their era and generation lose their zeal.

It is time to give the youth their chance to craft and amend laws by giving them an opportunity to take up roles in driving the country to tailor it to today's situation.

If and when we don't succeed, we get up and try again with a different approach.

The time for a new broom and approach is now.

May the youth who are capable please step up and participate.

This is a plea for political parties set to partake in the next elections to accord the nation’s youthful representatives the opportunity to have their say.

Participate

"Vote yourself into power" – the youth was told once upon a time.

They really have to take that advice seriously, go out in numbers, vote for a candidate on merit with the will to clean up the country, and, in the same vein, empower them to take the lead.

We are in need of a leader who empowers Namibian youth to take over after the last good leaders are sent packing for retirement.

The minority cannot be in control of the majority – that’s not democracy.

The youth should prepare to lead, and that should start with participation in the running of our country’s affairs, including through elections.

Shy away from the mentality of ‘politics is not for me’, because, like it or not, politics dictates your every move. It is thus advisable and of best practice for young Namibians to participate.

Namibia is one for all. The youth, being a majority, have their part to play for a better tomorrow.

May we prepare to enter the election year of 2024 with a better mindset of youth empowerment, and may the youth equally change their approach to how they see important events like the elections.

Because, in the end, the future is theirs. Instead of ‘chilling’ with liquor on this given voting holiday, make it a priority to be part of history and secure a better future for your country by casting your vote in November 2024.

- Captain/Flight Lieutenant Nelson Tuhafeni Kalangula is a former Namibian Air Force helicopter pilot, an aviation safety and aircraft accident investigation certificate holder, and an author in the making. He holds an honours degree in commerce and a B.Tech. in business administration.