No political party should see themselves representing a single generation and involving more young politicians is necessary to stay relevant in politics, according to panel discussion on the challenges facing young political leaders in ASEAN, moderated by Thai PBS World.
These young politicians entered politics with certain expectations of their own while, carrying what is expected of them as the new comers.
For them, age difference is not the real challenge, as they can find ways to communicate and connect with different generations. The ideology is, however, more complicated to navigate.
“Regardless of whether you are young or old, regardless of age, I think the expectations of anyone entering politics are very similar, which is to create a positive change for the country. It’s probably not healthy for any political party to see themselves representing any one generation. So, when you come back to the fundamental question of why political parties exist, you realise that, while the agenda for each party may be based on a wide spectrum of ideologies, they must be to create a society for all generations. Not just for one,” said Parit Wacharasindhu from Thailand’s Move Forward Party when talked about expectations as he entered politics.
It is normal in a democratic society for people to have differing views of what society should be. Parit said he thinks that the ideal version of society for younger generations is very different and increasingly different from the ideal version of society the older generations wish to see.
Communicate and connect
For Parit, communication has to have a channel for each generation, and “content is the key,” he said.
“Of course, there are certain difficult conversations that often have to be had between all generations. Certain policies that we develop or certain stands that we take are, sometimes, much more popular with a certain generation than others”. Parit was referring to agenda such as the lèse majesté law, budget decentralization and laws related to LGBTQ rights.
In the Philippines, Raoul Danniel Manuel said that it is more challenging to communicate with people inside the congress who hold different ideas and ideologies. With the general public, it’s easier to build connections, as long as you can find common issues.
Raoul is a congressman from the Kabataan Party in the Philippines. He said that the political playingfield in his country has not been even for young people, and there are not enough spaces to speak or to be part of institutions where decisions are being made.
“We really want to assert that we deserve some space, no matter how small may that be,” said Raoul.
In Indonesia, Puteri Anetta Komarudin, a Golkar party MP, comes into politics with another layer of complication. She is one of a small number of young female politicians in the country, which she describes as having a pretty strong patriarchal society. Things were actually better than she expected though.
“I’m pretty sure that this is also the case in most countries, where old political parties realise that this is the time when they have to be friends with us, the younger generation. Otherwise, they could become irrelevant,” said Puteri.
Communicating with more experienced politicians in parliament, Puteri said that one of the ways to get respect from fellow MPs is to have data, the right laws and regulations to back them up and “not to talk nonsense”.
In Cambodia, Neth Pheaktra, an MP from the Cambodian People’s Party, said that, because the Cambodian genocide in the 1970s created a big gap between generations of politicians, the older generation is welcoming the younger ones, as they are the generation with better education and many graduated abroad.
His perspective, as a politician in the party that is running the country, is that politicians in Cambodia now are focusing more on keeping peace and stability in the country.
“The older generation, they used to work with our parents and we are like their children. The way to overturn this mindset is to show your capacity, work with efficiency and respect the rules.”
Neth said the government has mandated that one-third of every level of administration must be the young generation, to make sure they are included in the decision-making process.
Regional influence
Regardless of age, ideology or from which side of the political spectrum, these young politicians seethat there are many domestic issues that can be supported by multilateral agreements and cooperation amongst international communities for more sustainable improvement.
Neth said that, in bilateral and the multilateral relationships, nations talk with diplomacy. “We don’t talk about an ‘enemy’, but we talk about the benefits and the interests”.
Issues like climate change are something which cannot be solved by one country alone. As Puteri said, Indonesia is to host ASEAN next year, and she hopes that there will be more discussions on the transfer of knowledge from the more developed members of ASEAN, which could benefit other members. Something more practical, which can address a lot of current problems.
Raoul also agrees that the international community can be a way to put a spotlight on issues which cannot easily be resolved within the country and to get help from the outside “but that does not mean that we give up our sovereignty. It’s just a way for us to find the common problems or find insights from our neighbors, so that we can improve our situations,” said Raoul.
The aging society is also an area in which Parit said regional cooperation could be a big help. Thailand will need more people of a working age. To make that happen, it requires international cooperation on mobility, ensuring fewer restrictions in terms of movement and working between different countries, especially in ASEAN.
Common values
Regardless of the political system, Parit said it is important to see how the region can stand up for common values on democracy and human rights.
“We see there is an issue of free speech. The issue that is currently being faced not just by Thailand, not just in the Philippines, but by many countries in ASEAN. So, how can we, together, help stand for these values and hold other governments accountable?” asked Parit.
With Three big summits already concluded in November this year, the ASEAN summit, the G20 and APEC, we can safely say that expectations have not been met in solving global conflicts in many levels. There will be more chances to talk, of course, but it will need more action to create more fruitful outcomes.
Perhaps, this young generation of politicians can produce something different in the near future.
By Tulip Naksompop Blauw
