Published in UPI ASIA New Blog.
(Revised article) A desire for financial freedom, financial security and opportunity is sending many of young people out of their county in search of better lives.
A friend of mine who recently moved said her life there was an improvement.
"I feel secure. My son goes to school regularly and my husband has
started to work," she said. "At least no one will come in the middle
of the night and threaten us. At least our lives are not
in danger here."
Hundreds of thousands of people have left their country to work
in recent decades, serving in the army, the police and other
public services, as well as in industry, construction, agriculture and
the service sector. In earlier times they were driven to leave home by
poverty, violence, instability and lack of opportunity.
Increasingly, uneducated young people are leaving to perform
manual labor in Southeast Asia and Arab countries. The better educated
from the middle and upper classes head for the United States and
Europe, or to India.
Those who remain behind long for a better future too, of course.
Many of the young people who remain are drawn into the
"dream." Bad politics exploit the people's poverty, illiteracy, and
social inequality. Like other youth in underdeveloped countries, young
people are attracted by the heroic socialist images painted by the
politicians. It is a powerful illusion that paralyzes millions of lives
in underdeveloped countries.
They are mostly illiterate, unskilled, misguided and wrongly trained people from farms and villages. It is odd to see such people fighting and dreaming of developing the nation.
Yet now, people are turning their hopes for change. If these are to
succeed, the authorities must improve the security situation, control
rampant corruption, and deal with the demands of various groups
who feel they have been marginalized. In the midst of this unstable
situation, the political members are misusing their youthful energy to threaten and instill fear in people. These unhealthy habits need to change.
So do the practices of politicians who exploit the people for
their own benefit and to maintain their own power. According to the
famous American president, Abraham Lincoln, democracy is government
"of the people, by the people, and for the people." But in other countries the definition is just the opposite. Democracy is off the people, buy the
people, and far from the people.
Before an election, politicians instruct their supporters to buy
the people's votes to ensure their win. After becoming members of
Parliament, they live off the people, but remain far away from them.
They seem to think, "We have already bought the people. Now we must
gather our spending money and prepare for the next election." In
actual fact, many people misunderstand the real meaning of
democracy owing to illiteracy, poverty, and unemployment.
The future of democracy is bright. The task of putting our hope firmly on the road toward a democratic, united, stable, secure, peaceful and prosperous nation is the obligation of all," the professor said. "It would be difficult to
implement this historical accord without full cooperation of all
people and of friendly countries. Hence, the future of democracy is
based on cooperation."
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