Synergy between the Youth and Government

Friday, 23 September 2011 00:00

Written by Aaron Benedict De Leon

Many people ask me what seems to be wrong with government, when it comes to addressing the endless concerns of our youth today. And I repeatedly respond with the same old line saying, “Well, you should also ask your constituents what seems to be wrong with their choices, and naturally, with them.”

There are many things young people are and aren’t, the same way the government is and isn’t. But I can assure you one thing: Both of them are by-products of each other.

Young people are naturally vigilant, aggressive, idealistic and demanding for competent responses. Young people do not have tolerance for failure; neither do they have the patience to wait for lengthy and often delayed replies.

Politicians are naturally powerful and pragmatic. Some do not have the tolerance to listen, because some are self-absorbed with their capabilities as government officials.

They were not made to be married, not even tailored to be friends. And even civility in this time and age between these two parties is a feat hard to achieve.

Clearly, this societal imbalance has given birth to widespread dissatisfaction, rowdy public assemblies and even armed mutinies in modern Philippine Society.

What is clearer though, to my eyes, is the gap in synergy between the youth and our government.

Apparently, both sides fail to recognize that they have both miserably failed each other, and that it has set a precedent in the ensuing generations that have come after.

The most recent concrete example of that misunderstanding and lack of synergy is the apparent response of Rep. Winnie Castelo to the rally being staged by militant groups outside of the Batasan, some of which were identified to be students of the University of the Philippines.

Rep. Castelo’s response in filing the Anti-Planking Act of 2011 to a rally against oil price hikes represents the response of government to issues concerning the youth, which I will leave to your better judgment. Many things have already been said about the measure, and I guess social networking’s voice on this issue is more powerful than mine.

But let me say one thing about the act. Rep. Castelo’s response is not borne out of genuine concern, neither is it borne out of urgency and demand of the times. All it was- was a joke, a joke that this country never needs in the first place. And you do not joke about the future of the country, and you do not kid with young people when it comes to serious issues. You do not create motherhood statements in order to justify your pointless counter proposal; neither do you waste taxpayer’s ink printing and spending for an untimely and useless measure.

Rep. Castelo represents what we do not like about government- senseless and directionless.

Yet this is the kind of politician our electorate decided to choose, that the youth slept on in their pre-occupation over pop culture phenomena, over love life, over their hobbies and interests. Many have chosen to shoot each other over broken hearts, rather than involve themselves in worthwhile causes.

There is nothing more worthwhile than staging an outright rejection of negative values, and rejection of discrimination against person and trial-by-publicity. This is what is supposed to be taught in schools and in our respective homes.

The Longevity of our efforts will measure the greatness of our generation, not the seasonality of our tastes and preferences.

Take this situation as a dilemma which should be pondered upon.

Has the youth ever launched a campaign against incompetence and lack of qualification? Well, just like playboys, guys have their so called “flavors of the month”, so like some civil society entities, they only pick on whom they dislike over what they dislike. The alarming thing is that they focus on the “WHO” and not on the “WHAT.”

So at the end of the day, even the pitiful Presidential Spokesperson claimed that the concept of leftist public strikes is nothing but a dud. You may like it, or not, but with the way public rallies have been conducted in this country, it seems that most of the time, it is the personality that is being destroyed, not the wrong value system.

It is apparent that both sides have taken turns in hitting each other, often with undiplomatic and uncivilized remarks.

Based on this incident, the hate-hate relationship between the government and the youth has taken another major low.

What does it take for both to finally get an understanding of each other? I think it will only happen if and when both parties begin to stop talking through the media and social networking, and start genuinely thinking about the best solution through dialogue and consultation. Young people must start to overcome their impatience, and government officials must force themselves to be competent, whether they like it or not.

What is needed is synergy between the youth and our government- in methodology, in thoughts, in actions, in order for us to reconcile our differences and convert our various and often conflicting ideas into comprehensive and inclusive solutions that will benefit all parties.

To conclude, let me once again reiterate the famous line, “United We Stand, Divided We Fall”