TODAY Youth Survey: Most say taking part in civic discourse is important; just over half feel Govt is receptive to differing views

WHY YOUTHS SHOULD CARE 

Unlike most of his peers who are more interested in pop culture and other conventionally youthful pursuits, 17-year-old Putra Aqid Roslan is a regular participant in dialogues with the Government.

Most recently, he attended a dialogue conducted by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Youth Council with Mr Shanmugam about Singapore’s stance on drugs and the death penalty. 

The Republic Polytechnic student, who has always been interested in the law, said the session was particularly meaningful as he felt like the opinions put forth by the participants were thoughtfully considered by Mr Shanmugam.  

Putra recounted: “During the talk, many opinions were raised and many questions were asked. I could see Minister Shanmugam genuinely trying to understand our views and opinions, answering all of our questions as best as possible and making sure all of us were heard.”

This is not always the case at these government dialogues, he said.

But even if they are inconsistent, Putra wishes more of his peers would get involved. Civic participation helps youths get a glimpse of the “real world” and better grasp today’s most pressing issues, he said.

He cited how some segments of society tend to have a blanket negative opinion of one party or another, and said he wants that to change. 

“A better understanding among youths will allow us to instead look at individual policies put out by the People’s Action Party (Government) and figure out how to improve them, how to adapt them to the times, and so on,” said Putra. 

MORE TRUST AND CONFIDENCE NEEDED — FROM BOTH SIDES

To eradicate this idea of a “black box” in Government, government officials must have trust and confidence that youths can contribute to policymaking, said political analyst and Singapore Management University (SMU) law don Eugene Tan.

One challenge is that the different parties are coming to the table with misaligned expectations — the youths, fired by idealism and passion, may be expecting their views to have quick and tangible outcomes, such as rapid policy change. But the government representatives have to answer to many other segments of society. 

“Youths need to recognise that there are other stakeholders and other perspectives on issues, and so being able to accommodate them can help lead the way to a holistic approach in dealing with the challenges of our time,” said Assoc Prof Tan.

Putra, meanwhile, feels that there should be a more concerted push to encourage youths to learn about current affairs so that they may feel more motivated and confident to attend engagement sessions with the Government.