Historically, young people have always been involved in politics. What is meant by politics is a form of engagement and commitment to change society and its norms, institutions and structures outside of volunteerism and pursuing a career.
Politics here is not limited to politics with a big “P”, namely politics within formal political parties. Politics can also refer to engagements outside of political parties via informal groups or associations. Often, a large part of youth engagement with politics does occur outside of formal political parties as many would otherwise feel constrained with the inherently hierarchical nature of formal party life.
STUDENT MOVEMENTS AS YOUTH MOVEMENTS
The “classic” political youth movement is the student movement. Like other youth, students occupy the liminal period between childhood and adulthood. This liminal period is often a time of exploration and experimentation with new ideas. In addition to this idealism, students bring a youthful energy to their engagement with the world. This combination of idealism and energy coupled with the lack of adult responsibilities is raw fuel for social change.
In this context, university campuses are often the incubator of social movements. This is especially so as a key facet of intellectual development in such institutions is the ability to think critically. Universities also profess to be elite (some would say elitist) institutions which also nurture a sense of self-confidence and independence in grooming future leaders of society. Student activism is also groomed by the academic staff who see the value of activism for both the development of their students and society in general.
HISTORICAL EXAMPLES OF STUDENT MOVEMENTS
There is historical evidence that school campuses, especially the campuses of higher learning, are incubators of student movements. One of the most famous examples is the student movement of May 1968 in France. This began when students at the University of Paris occupied the campus in protest of several students who had been expelled for discussing issues of class and social injustice. This movement eventually grew larger as the students were joined by various unions in France who went on strikes in solidarity with the students. The unrest rose to such an extent that the famous French general turned President, Charles De Gaulle, left the country. De Gaulle would return with a vengeance as his party won the subsequent elections decisively, and French society would be forever changed. The events of May 1968 are widely regarded as a liberating point where traditional hierarchies were upended throughout French society.
Even Singapore in the ‘60s was a hotbed of student activism. The Chinese school students, long marginalised by the colonial government were involved in petitioning for a number of issues ranging from being forced to participate in National Service to organising and collecting money for the local university which would be known as Nantah. Amongst the English educated students, one epochal event which galvanised the student body was the sedition trial of the editors of Fajar, a student publication of the University Socialist Club. With the help of DN Pritt and one Lee Kuan Yew as junior counsel, the students managed to win the case.
The underlying impetus of such youth movements is a sense of idealism for a better world and a better future that the youth of today will eventually inherit. This élan is captured in Wordsworth’s famous prose that “Bliss it was in that dawn to be alive. But to be young was very heaven”.
DECLINE OF STUDENT ACTIVISM
However, the world today is older and more cynical than the salad days of the youth of the past. The consumerist culture which pervades late capitalist societies incentivises young people to forge a career than forging a new society. This is reflected in the changing nature of the educational system. There is a shift from the classical humanist idea of education as moulding people to live fulfilled, self-actualised lives to education as a systemic tool of governments and businesses to create a compliant and productive workforce for the economy.
Universities are expected to be yet another node of this system to be profit-making centres attracting overseas students (and their tuition fees) rather than institutions meant to address issues that afflict the society they are based in. The modern university is thus marked with precariousness and insecurity. The insecurity of students saddled with student loans and an uncertain future and the precariousness of the tenure of academic staff working in these institutions. Such precariousness does not create a fertile environment for activism as people become more concerned about their own individual welfare rather than thinking about the development of the common good.
There are also various mechanisms of social control which diminishes the effectiveness of youth activism. While one may point to various laws which restrict publication, speech and assembly, arguably just as effective are various platforms which co-opt youths channeling their energies to either charitable or recreational pursuits. Youths in such platforms are provided with funding and organisational support, but the objectives are either predetermined or set within narrowly circumscribed boundaries.
POLITICS AS FORMATIVE EDUCATION
To their detractors, the decline of student activism need not be an unwelcome development. After all, young people are often said to be naïve about the realities of life, and untutored in serious topics such as politics. Such issues are best left to adults who have the experience and maturity to adequately deal with them.
However, there are very pertinent reasons why youth engagement with political issues of the day is important both on an individual and societal level. At the individual level, involvement with political activism explores new ideas and challenges old orthodoxies. It encourages youth to take ownership of their future and their country’s future. As political activity is necessarily a social activity, it forces young people out of their own personal comfort zone to interact with people of different backgrounds and ideas.
Thus at an individual level, engagement with politics should be considered as equipping youths with a practical wisdom in handling life as part of a healthy maturation process towards adulthood. At a societal level, a more engaged and energised youth is beneficial in catalysing the necessary changes to social norms, institutions and structures so that they are better placed to address a changed world. History is littered with once-successful societies that were unable to adapt to change. By challenging settled conventions and giving a sense of ownership and autonomy, youth activism in politics can play a pivotal role in ensuring a country does not ossify into irrelevance.
THE SINGAPORE CONTEXT
Despite the challenges stated above, one gets the sense that youth activism in politics, especially outside formal institutions is not dead. In a recent survey by the National Youth Council in 2016, it was found that the popular forms of civic engagement by youths today is online. This is unsurprising as with greater access to information both locally and internationally, youths today are presented with a veritable buffet of ideas and events to gain inspiration from. Young people in Singapore see what their contemporaries in America, Egypt, Malaysia and Hong Kong are doing and this inevitably makes them reflect on their own situation. While cyberspace is increasingly being regulated, there is still far more space for alternative ideas and concepts to proliferate as compared to the older mediums of communication, such as newspapers.
However, the study also found that youth participation in civic life was not merely limited to cyberspace. For example, youth involvement in various social groups rose from 53% in 2010 to 68% in 2016. Singaporean youths generally strongly agree that they have a part to play in developing Singapore for the benefit of current and future generations. Thus, Singaporean youths do have the passion to be engaged with the general development of Singapore. It remains a question however, how such passion will translate in terms of political activism.
Thus to conclude, historically, youths have always played an active role in determining the course of their society. This role is a formative one and beneficial for both the individual and society. Today, one can see the familiar youthful effervescence simmer on the many platforms that proliferate online. ⬛
Fadli Fawzi is a lawyer practising in the field of dispute resolution. He has interests in a wide range of areas ranging from religion, history, politics and the law.
