Allow me to express myself not as
an expert in this case but first as a human being who happens to be a youth and
a citizen of this nation because we deserve better.
For
the longest time I have intentionally shied away from matters politics and
governance but only previously indirectly participated through awards and innovative
opportunities that have allowed me to express my views. I mean every time we
talk politics we have to deal with so much baggage; don’t we all hate baggage?
I know! We forget or choose to forget reason and logic; we forget that we
deserve better, throw caution to the wind and it’s man against man, tribe
against tribe, the majority against the minority, the haves against the have-nots,
power against the law.
So
yes, until we realize much of which we hold in high regard is affected by
politics only then we can find our voices of reason and speak up; we are
talking governance, global trade, economy, public policy, businesses, national
integration and so much more.
We
are being poked guys, are we even aware of that? Constant poking gets painful with
time and in extreme cases our bodies begin to get numb.
Dear
youth,
I
know you feel tired, so much strength has been drained out of you by some of
the personal issues you have to deal with every day; you are trying to
establish your business, it’s not been easy, you’ve been looking for sustainable
employment but nothing, you would like to settle down with your partner but there
are processes involved, you are not ready. There’s so much pressure from
society to succeed and be someone respectable.
It’s
too much, right? Politics is the least of your concerns I know; it’s too much
of an addition to all that you have to deal with. We want it all to end but we
don’t have the strength to fight, we want it all to end but we are afraid to
speak up, afraid to lose our jobs because some of our employers are involved.
We want it all to end but are confused on how to go about it, caught up in our
comfort zones “I don’t give a damn as long as I get my salary at the end of the
month” so we say.
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| photo courtesy |
We
are forgetting that we have a choice that we deserve better and we should
demand better but this is only possible if we learn to fight together, only if
we put aside our personal interests and fight for a common good. We have human rights
and civil society organizations but even they are struggling though they have
the muscle and with the right support we can push for better.
What
if the millions of youth in this country had a day set aside for a march for
change and I don’t mean the vulnerable… no, we’ve allowed them to fight for us
too long. I mean you with an independent mind, you who cannot be manipulated by
politics, you who understands policies, you who know we deserve better and is
willing to take a day off and can in every way humanly possible call for
action.
If
we can learn to embrace and appreciate the beauty of our diversity, the power
it holds then unlearn all the negative aspects we’ve captured through the
history of politics in this country, maybe then we can begin to move towards better.
Written By: Dorcas Waringa | 27th March, 2018
