Written by: Niharika Chapagain - 25006, Grade IX
Posted on: 15 March, 2022
Young people are often underestimated by society because they are no longer considered as a child who needs care and support but they are not considered mature adults either. These days, the participation of youths in governmental activities or politics is found seldom and the reason may be; the society underestimating youth or young people’s lack of patriotism towards their country. In Nepal, all the representatives of government are either adults or older people who have gained knowledge about our country through experience and time, however they are not updated about this modern era and still support the older government system, which is holding us back behind as a developing country. For development new refreshing ideas and encouragement is needed which can only be provided by young people.
Throughout the world, there are many youths leading their countries towards development through their participation in the parliament, however in Nepal, it is very difficult for the young people to step up in politics due to the influence of current elder politicians who have more reputation and power in the country. In the past, it’s not that youths have not shown their interest in our governing system, however many youths were forced to step down since Nepalese people didn’t show their support to them. The rate of increase in corruption and decrease in good governance in Nepal has erased the false hope that people had made about development possibile in our country. And this is the main reason for the discouragement of young people who want to enter politics in Nepal. Currently Balen Shah an engineer and rapper has stepped up for the position of Mayor in Kathmandu and if young people like this show their eagerness to work together for our country, many positive changes can be seen in our country.
During elections, due to favoritism, people vote politicians without giving it a thought. For example, right now former prime minister of Nepal, K.P Sharma Oli is a public figure for the Nepalese people and people blindly follow him as his fan even though he might be wrong. In my view people should learn to give new capable faces an opportunity to prove themselves rather than blindly supporting politicians like our former prime minister Oli, who couldn’t bring a change in our society when he was given the chance. In my family, I had tried to make my parents understand the importance of voting for the right candidate in an election and the importance of youth, but I had failed. Nepalese people are stubborn and once when they believe something they usually don’t tend to think of other perspectives. When I asked my parents the reason why they voted for the politicians who have already had a bad reputation in our political history, the answer I got was nothing. They couldn’t provide me with a reasonable answer, rather they wanted to vote for the winning side. This type of belief is owned by almost every Nepalese person in our country.
In my opinion, right now there are no better candidates for the prime minister position in our country since young people are not allowed to step up due to the power and authority the politicians hold however for positions like Mayor, we should vote for young people who have dared to step up and support them so that they don’t lose hope. To change the beliefs of people, something big is not needed, a small step taken by someone is enough. Here, Balen Shah has taken that step for us, to change the beliefs of people that young people cannot participate in politics and if this step is appreciated and supported, change is inevitable in our country.
