The perceived threat to the established order of youth in politics

It is now a fact of life that young people expect representation in elected office, especially in local government. In that regard there are rules within political parties to reserve a certain number of places to young men and women who represent a proportion of the population and who wish to have their opinions represented in an elected body.

If a person is successful in politics and is seen to be performing, then he has no fear from usurpers. However the established order today is to get into politics for the wrong reasons, and any threat to that position is put down with a direct hit that intimidates the young person from pursuing as a challenger, usually within the same party!

This is a constant threat to the established order, in Sri Lanka, and youth have now made a habit of pushing the envelope and facing this threat head on, sometimes intimidating seniors within the party. A good organization is also a threat and often young pretenders have a better organized team they are able to galvanize with little in the way of teasers of goodies, being fleet of foot and intimidating both at the same time.

I think it is an excellent proposition. This keeps the seniors on their toes, and keeps them active, not just resting of their laurels. This generational confrontation is good and healthy in politics as fresh faces providing the new blood to old causes are an integral part of an evolving political culture that is dynamic and intimidating at the same time.

The reality is that there is no keen competition, but an attempt to distance youth, by not including them in the political activities, by deliberately ignoring their existence and not inviting them into the fold. This exclusion has benefitted many youth, to go into the hearts of the people, by connecting with the electorate on simple identifiable policies, that directly affect the constituency, and not some hard to identify ideological difference that does not connect directly with the voter.

A fresh face is always a breath of fresh air, and I will encourage genuine young people who wish to make a difference to get into politics to fight for your principles and provide an alternative to the established order, by giving a new angle to the old issues, with the possibility of a solution based on a new outlook, when old theories do not hold water.