Youth & Politics : When are we addressing our concerns ?
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Joyson Khumukcham
Whenever one hears the word ‘youth’, a sense of energetic section of people or a vibrant period in one’s life comes up. It is a crucial phase when young people are generally enjoying their lives as well as building the same for a future ahead. They carry a weight of being the future pillars and the bridge of continuity of their society.
The experiences of life as young people vary among individuals, across generations, and across societies. Their identities, aspirations, values, and opportunities are profoundly shaped by not only their familial upbringing, but largely by the socio- economic, historical, and political conditions of the society they live in.
Today’s generations of youth, particularly the Gen Z and late millennials, face various kinds of local and global issues that largely affect them. These issues have a political dimension in the sense that dealing them requires political decisions of the Government. And it is not too late to realize that young people cannot afford to be excluded from taking part in such political decisions that directly impact their lives. This realization serves as a wake-up call for the youth to take politics seriously and to be taken seriously in politics.
New values, old system
The world has been changing quite fast in the last few decades. Globalization and the internet have brought the world closer. People have come across various cultures, technologies, institutions, and social practices. Such exposures have major influence on young people, especially those who are brought up in a digital environment and interconnected world. They began to acquire different sets of values, cultures, and aspirations anew to their society as well as to people of the previous generations. Some of these values come in conflict with the society in various dimensions – individual freedom, social norms, political system, or the state of economy.
The major anxiety among today’s generation of young people is the contrast between their average aspirations and the prevailing state of affairs in their society. They are constantly witnessing systemic faults, structural inefficiencies, and unfair practices which do not reward their hardwork or treat their efforts fairly. Priorities have become different, the lack of attention which is building up a kind of collective frustration or growing resentment among the youths. In recent times, the world has seen many youth-led uprisings in the Global South – in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, Kenya, Peru, and Paraguay. Many of them are outbursts against systemic issues such as vicious cycles of corruption, authoritarianism, unem- ployment, shrinking democratic practices, misgover- nance, etc.
Abundant issues, deficient solutions
The burning frustrations and anxieties among young people are caused by a mixture of entangled issues and conditions. In conflict-ridden societies, militarization and radicalization plunges many youths further into crimes and violence. Drugs become a kind of escape for many of them. Identity politics and exclusivist agenda wear them out. Their major concerns seem to be side-lined amidst the bigger issues which their societies are caught in. In Manipur, politics and counter-politics over territory, autonomy, ethnicity, citizenship, and border crisis are some of the “core issues” which dominate the general discourse.
Within such “core issues”, young people are also caught in. Amidst episodes of scuffles between public demon- strations and state responses, their education has at often times compromised. Businesses get halted, sociali- zation becomes regulated, voices of dissent are subjected to surveillance and threat. Their hopes for building a good career or having a good future seem uncertain. Moreover, the everyday problems that affect the general people become fainted in the loud cries of core issues and question of community survival. Amidst such abundant issues, there are less efforts to address their concerns.
Gerontocracy & Disproportionate Representation
Gerontocracy is a term for that Government in which the political leaders are significantly older than the general population. At present, almost 50% of the world’s population is under age 30 and nearly 20% of people worldwide are aged 18–30. Yet only 2.8% of members of National Parliaments are aged 30 and under, and 19.0% are of the age 40 and under in a study of 210 Parliamentary chambers in 155 countries (IPU Report, 2025).
In the context of India, despite over 65% of the country’s population being under 35, youth representation in the Parliament is disproportionately low, with only about 10–13% of MPs aged 40 or under. The picture is more drastic in Manipur. In the 12th State Legislative Assembly only four of the 60 MLAs belong to the age group of 31-40. While the number of youths in the age group of 15-29 constitute about 29.4% of the State population in 2011(Youth in India Report, 2022), their share of representation in the legislative bodies remains largely disproportionate. Added to this dispro-portionality is the low presence of woman legislators. Among the 60 MLAs (currently 58), only five of them are women. Poor representation of such key sections of people in legislative bodies leads to ineffective policies for them.
Considering politics as a profession
In Manipur, the presence of youth in public demonstration activities, rallies, and protests are quite active and high but such engagements are often subject to State repression.
(To be contd)
Whenever one hears the word ‘youth’, a sense of energetic section of people or a vibrant period in one’s life comes up. It is a crucial phase when young people are generally enjoying their lives as well as building the same for a future ahead. They carry a weight of being the future pillars and the bridge of continuity of their society.
The experiences of life as young people vary among individuals, across generations, and across societies. Their identities, aspirations, values, and opportunities are profoundly shaped by not only their familial upbringing, but largely by the socio- economic, historical, and political conditions of the society they live in.
Today’s generations of youth, particularly the Gen Z and late millennials, face various kinds of local and global issues that largely affect them. These issues have a political dimension in the sense that dealing them requires political decisions of the Government. And it is not too late to realize that young people cannot afford to be excluded from taking part in such political decisions that directly impact their lives. This realization serves as a wake-up call for the youth to take politics seriously and to be taken seriously in politics.
New values, old system
The world has been changing quite fast in the last few decades. Globalization and the internet have brought the world closer. People have come across various cultures, technologies, institutions, and social practices. Such exposures have major influence on young people, especially those who are brought up in a digital environment and interconnected world. They began to acquire different sets of values, cultures, and aspirations anew to their society as well as to people of the previous generations. Some of these values come in conflict with the society in various dimensions – individual freedom, social norms, political system, or the state of economy.
The major anxiety among today’s generation of young people is the contrast between their average aspirations and the prevailing state of affairs in their society. They are constantly witnessing systemic faults, structural inefficiencies, and unfair practices which do not reward their hardwork or treat their efforts fairly. Priorities have become different, the lack of attention which is building up a kind of collective frustration or growing resentment among the youths. In recent times, the world has seen many youth-led uprisings in the Global South – in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, Kenya, Peru, and Paraguay. Many of them are outbursts against systemic issues such as vicious cycles of corruption, authoritarianism, unem- ployment, shrinking democratic practices, misgover- nance, etc.
Abundant issues, deficient solutions
The burning frustrations and anxieties among young people are caused by a mixture of entangled issues and conditions. In conflict-ridden societies, militarization and radicalization plunges many youths further into crimes and violence. Drugs become a kind of escape for many of them. Identity politics and exclusivist agenda wear them out. Their major concerns seem to be side-lined amidst the bigger issues which their societies are caught in. In Manipur, politics and counter-politics over territory, autonomy, ethnicity, citizenship, and border crisis are some of the “core issues” which dominate the general discourse.
Within such “core issues”, young people are also caught in. Amidst episodes of scuffles between public demon- strations and state responses, their education has at often times compromised. Businesses get halted, sociali- zation becomes regulated, voices of dissent are subjected to surveillance and threat. Their hopes for building a good career or having a good future seem uncertain. Moreover, the everyday problems that affect the general people become fainted in the loud cries of core issues and question of community survival. Amidst such abundant issues, there are less efforts to address their concerns.
Gerontocracy & Disproportionate Representation
Gerontocracy is a term for that Government in which the political leaders are significantly older than the general population. At present, almost 50% of the world’s population is under age 30 and nearly 20% of people worldwide are aged 18–30. Yet only 2.8% of members of National Parliaments are aged 30 and under, and 19.0% are of the age 40 and under in a study of 210 Parliamentary chambers in 155 countries (IPU Report, 2025).
In the context of India, despite over 65% of the country’s population being under 35, youth representation in the Parliament is disproportionately low, with only about 10–13% of MPs aged 40 or under. The picture is more drastic in Manipur. In the 12th State Legislative Assembly only four of the 60 MLAs belong to the age group of 31-40. While the number of youths in the age group of 15-29 constitute about 29.4% of the State population in 2011(Youth in India Report, 2022), their share of representation in the legislative bodies remains largely disproportionate. Added to this dispro-portionality is the low presence of woman legislators. Among the 60 MLAs (currently 58), only five of them are women. Poor representation of such key sections of people in legislative bodies leads to ineffective policies for them.
Considering politics as a profession
In Manipur, the presence of youth in public demonstration activities, rallies, and protests are quite active and high but such engagements are often subject to State repression.
(To be contd)