Teen politics

Forget the notion that teenagers are oblivious, unthinking and unfeeling people. Many argue that teenagers are spoilt, irresponsible and the cause of social ills. Perhaps those who are quick to criticise them should rethink their shoot-from-the-hip comments.

For a teenager who is exposed to recent developments over the last year, the current Malaysian political landscape is both exciting and intriguing. The political upheaval has served as an eye-opener for most of us. We have discovered that the Government lives and breathes like human beings - and one which has a limited lifespan. And like humans, the Government is imperfect and fallible.

Because politics is so alive today, teenagers are naturally drawn to it for several reasons. The most compelling reason is that politics directly concerns our interests, chiefly the policies drawn up by the Education Ministry, and the Youth and Sports Ministry.

Extensive political coverage by the media has also highlighted the importance of politics and politicking in our lives. Faced with this onslaught of information, we are bound to be caught in the excitement. And coupled with our inborn search for truth and natural sense of justice -- drawn from our uncalibrated inner moral compass, our tendencies to categorise things as either right or wrong, and our courage to confront injustices -- some of the issues covered by the media have indeed captured our attention.

Undeniably the teenager's natural sense of justice has provoked us to be more involved and aware of politics, but more so when those close to us are affected by it. For instance, we share our parents' joys upon the announcement of the 2000 budget, and feel the anger and sorrows of our siblings and friends involved in student rallies against sacked deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim's prosecution and the misuse of the law by certain quarters to strike fear into our hearts.

The ethnic composition of teenagers in schools is somewhat similar to that of the conventional Malaysian society. However, contrary to the popular opinion -- that all is "muhibah" in schools and we are Malaysians speaking in one language and having one vision -- there is instead a huge disparity between teenagers in schools, divided roughly along racial and language lines of the Malay, Chinese, Indian and the ever-present multiracial clique of English-speaking students.

This division has been of late further exacerbated by greater political awareness and the tendencies to take sides. The Malays are viewed generally as the most politically astute community. Perhaps their interest is motivated by the idea that Malaysia is essentially a Malay country and that the country's future depends largely on them. History books outlining the success of Malay nationalists fighting for independence further strengthen their conviction.

Unlike Malay teenagers, the Chinese and Indian teenagers' political awareness is very much at the formative level, still exploring the meaning of being Malaysian. The English-speaking teenagers, mostly Chinese and Indians, have explored information disseminated by various sources such as the popular Aliran Monthly and Internet discussion groups such as Sangkancil. Armed with this information, their unvoiced fears of being a second-class citizen in a Malay country have begun to soften. The Chinese and Indians are beginning to see their futures bound by broader issues of justice, democracy and human right, and not narrowly focused on ethnic-based issues.

Although such awareness is true for a small minority of students (of all races), today many students are taking more than a cursory interest in the country's affairs.

Our views count

That said, the Opposition appears to have garnered a lot more of support from teenagers compared to the ruling party. This support comes from all races -- a majority of which are Malays -- and from all socio-economic background.

However, the actual support for the ruling party and the opposition at the school level can never be truly gauged. Firstly, because teens are still at an impressionable age and are easily influenced. And secondly, there is a natural tendency for teens to rebel, to be a non-conformist and to embrace anti-establishment viewpoints.

Indeed, with the lack of independent information, it is hard for teens to make their own choice regarding their political stance. Given this, teenagers would appreciate it if political propaganda is not constantly hurled at us and that we are not exploited by politicians as a means to achieve their political ambitions.

Talk to us. Educate us. Inform us. And don't forget, listen to us, too. After all, we are the future leaders of the country.

KHOR SWEE KHENG
malaysiakini.com