Forming around 60% of the population and 30% of the voting population (18 yrs to 25 yrs) political parties across the board including the Prime Minister himself acknowledged the strong role, youth would play in the 2013 elections.
Of late the dissolution of Druk Mitser Tshogpa party and its reformation as a political youth organization Druk Me-Ser Nazhoen Tshogpa (DMNT) has not only further highlighted this fact, but also caught the eye of political parties. DMNT is comprised mainly of non-DMT youth members lobbying for youth employment with parties.
The fact that it has already attracted 700 youth members in record time, claims to be able to get support from Sherubtse, Gaeddu and other tertiary institutes and is still growing has garnered political attention.
This is because regardless of its eventual success or failure DMNT in many ways represents the average Bhutanese youth who is educated due to the success of the mass education system and is worried about his future especially on employment.
DMNT also represents the growing politicization and awareness among the Bhutanese youth. Already of the 80,000 or so facebook users the majority are youth members. Internationally a number of political movements from the Arab spring to the re-election of the American President have seen the youth playing a major factor.
Lyonchhen Jigmi Y. Thinley said, “Youths will have a decisive and powerful role in the elections. The future is theirs and they have to be active and I am glad that they are being active.”
“After all, political parties or whatever government comes or emerges, it will be their future that is going to be decided and determined. They are not only powerful but they have a major stake,” said Lyonchhen.
Lyonchhen stressed that the role of youths are very powerful because Bhutanese population is comprised largely of young people.
When asked about his views on DMNT Lyonchhen stressed on the importance of such youth organizations and said that ‘DMNT is essentially an interest group with a good cause’.
The Prime Minister said, “what Bhutanese youth have been doing is to ensure that every party does something to promote their agenda, which is unemployment or possibility of unemployment in the future, so I think it is very important that we have such a group that will at least motivate political parties.”
Talking to The Bhutanese, aspiring politicians from the new parties said that forming political youth organizations like DMNT is a noble intention and if put to good use can be of immense importance in a democratic nation. They also acknowledged that DMNT could be a game maker as well for 2013.
They are also of the opinion that it is a groundbreaking trend in the political history of Bhutan. On the other side, they feel that if they are seen as a ‘vote bank’ it can be very dangerous as well.
Realizing the importance of the ‘youth factor’ political parties are also focused on having strong youth wings. Parties apart from the traditional rural and urban votes are also looking to attract the big youth demography.
These efforts across parties involve everything from having young candidates to promising to fight the scourge of unemployment.
Giving a big hint to political parties the young DMNT political wing head Lobzang Dorji said that unemployment would be the biggest issue for the youth in the 2013 elections.
So far youth issues despite the interest generated and potential votes have not taken center stage. However, politicians now agree that DMNT has brought the issue to the fore for political parties, backed by strong electoral realities which cannot be ignored.
The opposition leader, Tshering Tobgay also has a very positive opinion about the role of youths in the 2013 elections. He said: “I am very happy that our youths are not only politically interested but they are also politically active. From what I have read from the newspapers, I welcome the idea of the formation of DMNT.”
Interim President, Lily Wangchuk of Druk Chirwang Tshogpa said, “Participation of youth is very important as they are the future of the country and they form the majority of the population, their participation is crucial as when we address their problems we address most of the problems.”
She also said, “Through their participations their voices and concerns can be addressed, we are faced with numerous social issues and most of them are youth related ones. I see their participation in three ways, as candidates, making their voice and concerns raised through political parties, and exercising their votes.”
She also added that ‘their presence is not seen as a ‘vote bank’ but their participation can only make a better democracy’.
On DMNT the interim president of DCT said, “the more advisable thing to do will be to hold talks with political parties who can see how much is in their manifesto about youth rather than having a memorandum of understanding and trying some negotiations, as far as DCT is concerned, we are giving more importance to youth participation and when youth comes to us, it will always be addressed’. Furthermore, she said that DCT has plans to sit with the youths as soon as it gets ‘registered’.
Sharing similar views, the Interim President of another registered party, Bhutan Kuen-Ngyam Party (BKP) Sonam Tobgay, said: “As far as BKP is concerned, we view youth, women, senior citizens not as ‘vote banks’, we view them rather as a serious concern that the government should address. Youth is an important priority in BKP’s manifesto as we are more concerned with maximum employment since it is one of the pillars of our manifesto.”
He also added that ‘BKP doesn’t target one entity of the majority, we are for creating more and more jobs. We also like to take advantage of demographic potentials such as skills, knowledge, number; we have creative and innovative game plans to address these issues in the next five years’.
“I am sure DMNT means well for nation building and we have to be genuine and sincere concern. Groups of such kinds should as well address unemployment problems of youth,” said Sonam Tobgay. He also added that ‘as soon as this group is looked at as a lobby group, it will be dangerous’.
By Puran Gurung / Thimphu