It’s amazing to see how youth from Nigeria, Indonesia, and Ukraine responded to the prompt for CIPE’s Youth Essay Contest 2010: Are you satisfied with how democracy works in your country? What is a democratic government’s responsibility to its people? Is it purely a question of rights or is there something more to it? What do people expect democracy to deliver in your country? How can democracy lead to higher living standards and what are the linkages between democratic and economic freedom on your country?
The winning essays from Nigeria, Indonesia, and Ukraine are unique but share certain key similarities. Temitayo Olofinlua from Nigeria writes, “The ability of democracy to deliver on its promises (fulfilling the expectations of the people, from security to welfare to justice) will define its fate. Participation from the people is of paramount importance if these expectations are to be met. In this context, empowering youth is key to success.”
Shofwan Al Banna Choiruzsad from Indonesia also says, “Whether democracy can deliver or not depends on how democracy is implemented by the people. It will not work when most people are bystanders and politicians trained by authoritarian regimes are in charge. Participation is one of the most important keys.”
Kseniya Oksamytna of Ukraine agrees: “Engaging youth in public life in general and political life in particular is the key to raising political culture and building democracy that delivers.”
What’s also noteworthy is the solutions the winners put forward. You can read all their ideas in CIPE’s latest Economic Reform Feature Service article.
Published Date: January 21, 2011