Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
It was ony Dr. Yassin Saeed Noman who made the decision.
Peace upon you and warm greetings to all of you . Thank you for being here today for this debate
that I hope you will enrich with your input as well as the teams
A quick explanation of the debate's idea: the debate is sponsored by Resonate and Safer World
to tackle an important issue at this crucial time the country is going through
Are youth only used by political parties to serve their agendas or are there genuine intentions to integrate youth
in the political process and prepare them to become leaders in these parties.
We will have two teams. Each time has a different idea
the first believes that parties do support youth and they are trying to help them become leaders
The second team consists of independent youth and sees that parties have not provided
youth with what it takes to help youth so far
We will start the debate with 5 minutes for each team
to Mr. Baraa Shiban who will tells his opinion about youth participation and political parties' support
then we will move to Mr. Bassem Al Haj
Peace upon you all
Youth represent more than 70% of the Yemeni population, which makes them a target
for partisan polarization so that political parties can take advantage of them in electoral campaigns
as well as parties agendas' advocacy.
However, this wide base of youth in parties have limited participation regarding decision making
and leadership positions within parties
In 2011, all Yemeni parties (Ruling and opposition) were way behind in comparison with the popular movement
and creative spirit of the youth of the revolution and their team work abilities
regardless of religious, ideological, partisan, geographical and gender identities
Parties also failed in coping with modern techniques
as they still stick to traditional slow methods not to mention their attraction to the past
Many studies emphasized that youth political participation within their parties is very weak
compared to their numbers and effectiveness
Safer world's study in 2011/2012
in Taiz shows that even though youth were on the peak of their political work
85% of 400 youth (42 of them are members in political parties)
prefer staying away from leadership positions in parties
Only 21% of the partisan youth feel that they do participate in decision making
46% expressed that social status defines the possibility to reach leadership positions in parties
in comparison with 28% who see that these decisions depend of qualifications
Finally, only 17% said they are effective in decision making within their parties
These percentages point that the impact of youth in political parties is limited
And these results show the marginalization of youth, which was took control in the era of the former regime before the 2011 revolution
And this did not change after the GCC initiative
In the end, we remember a quote by a revolutionary
who once said that progress in any society is measured by women and youth status.
Good evening.
I touch on a few topics.
First, I can say that the political scene in Yemen and in the Arab world
before the Arab spring has witnessed political parties
aging as well as political reluctance. This made youth in war with politics
which achieved the saying: “Enemies of politics are enemies of tyranny
The Yemeni society is youthful society
so having youth outside the political process has created tyranny
When the youth decided joining politics during the Arab spring
they did not only change parties and also changed the whole regime
The problem is that youth still refuse joining the political process
The youth managed to topple the political regime
but stayed outside the political process
Therefore, when the GCC initiative was signed,
the youth couldn't continue the revolutionary path
This made the political process the only way to achieve the goals of the revolution through political parties
unions and other forms of protestation
This is why toppling the political regime seemed easier than building it as this take political awareness
The main challenge is becoming part of the political process
The parties are rusting and youth joining these parties is part of the struggle for change.
On the other hand, I methodologically disagree with the title. Parties are not established on this base
Young, old and generation gap
Parties are established on bases determined by class and social interest
This is why I consider this classification a misconception
The youth exist within various classes, interests and programs
and this is why the classification should be based on programs not generations
In spite of that, let's review our party's experience
Regarding the youth. The socialist party was founded by youth
who ruled in the south at a very young age and you can go back to pictures of that period
This was the first phase
The second phase was during the 1994 war
when youth took responsibility to re-establish the party all over again
especially at places the older generation failed at due to the arrest and marginalization they faced
Here the youth participated in the most important historical phase for the party through rebuilding it
under the siege back then
The third phase was during the revolution
The socialist party had a program for reform within the JMP
The party was not revolutionary oriented
Yet, many of the youth who are not in leadership positions
in the party made a historical decision considering that the country needs more than reform
They realized that the country is in need of a revolution
I remember at the very beginning when we were having a meeting
and Yahya Al Shami member in the political office walked in while we were discussing the continuity of protests and sit ins
Back then he asked us to act not as if we were only in charge of the party but the whole country
We went down that road. Later, the first release about the revolution was issued by socialist students
So I believe that within parties, youth are capable of achieving change even they were not included in certain positions
A vision is needed. And the focus should not only be on young people
There re progressive modern people we can address from older generations from the 50s and the 70s
in the end youth can change. Those were the three phases and than you.
Thank you so much Mr. Bassem and Mr. Baraa
Now the question is to Mr. Mohammed. As Mr. Bassem said
the problem is not in parties.
Parties are open for youth and youth can be effective
within these parties in one way or another
So the problem is not in the parties, it is in youth not joining parties. Do you have a comment?
What Bassem said describes part of the problem and not the whole problem
The issue can be summarized in 4 points.
First, are the parties institutionalized?
Is the socialist party institutionalized?
For example, When the GCC initiative
was signed did the general secretary and the central committee meet to make the signing decision?
The socalist, the Nasserite and many other parties even Justice and Construction are all similar in that
In my opinion the only organized party is Islah and anyone of you can look at these parties
websites and you will notice how Islah signed agreements with organizations
in a way that made Islah rooted in the Yemeni civil society
Reconstruction in Abyan, Hadramout was expected to happen if not through the government
then through the socialist party since it once ruled
The socialist party is abandoning its popular base
Unfortunately, we never hear the members of those parties
unless there are presidential decrees appointing positions and did not count them in
when 200 thousand were recruited according to the minister of defense himself in 2012
parties remained silent
which means they are not against quotas unless they don't include them
The other thing includes 4 factors
Yemeni youth also allowed this to happen. And here I disagree with Bassem
Who are youth?
Are they the ones who honor Hamid Al Ahmar or Al Mohsen or the ones at the Coffee Corner?
We need to evaluate youth and the youth of revolution
When the Egyptian revolution started, I remember that Nawara Nigm wrote in her blog
We don't have a problem with parties. Political parties are the equivalent of democracy
“We don't want parties, we want Egyptian flags only”
Finally, I really hope the youth would participate in parties. But again look at the first lines in parties
Look at those who meet with ambassadors and international community as well as Jamal Bin Omar
you will find among them people who wear dentures and 60 year olds so all of this must be reconsidered.
Thank you
Now we move to Mr. Safwan
We all know that parties in Yemen are all personalized and not institutionalized
For example, I know the socialist party as Dr. Yassin Saeed Noman's
Justice and Construction as Mr. Mohammed Abu Lohoom's party
Our parties one person centered. Therefore
what is the point of joining such projects when parties still haven't gotten over the one person.
Good evening all
first of all I have an objection to saying that parties are not institutionalized
Parties adopt institutionalization in order for them to continue and this includes Islah
Islah, even though it is not my party as I am from Justice and Construction
has nominated youth since 2007
Tawakol Karman and Huda Al Bnna were among the youth that nominated themselves in 2007
and they became part of the youth movement
Parties want to make use of youth.
youth who went to the square were made independent decisions from their partiesv
There were many partisan youth who joined the revolution since the very beginning
Later, parties attempted to administrate the revolution in a way that allows them to benefit
If we as youth are not framed, the political process will get out of our hands.
Thank you Safwan
My question to Ms. Hend is that if youth do not participate in political parties
we will find the same faces reproducing themselves and parties
so far are the only alternative, the best of the worst
When we speak about CSOs
we have more than 10 thousand CSOs among which I can barely think of 10 effective CSOs
And parties might be the best alternative. What is the alternative you suggest instead of parties?
I think that youth in parties will reach a level where they start a revolution within their parties
The party that does not give me the chance to speak
and practices patriarchy and censorship and treats us like children
If the party does this, we will have to rebel on them or start our own party
It is wrong to blame youth for limited participation in parties
It is true that youth need to stand up
but party leaders also need to understand that leadership is not by inheritance.
In general, I won't answer one specific question and would rather cover the discussion in general.
I believe that also the debate organizers chose a misleading title
which directed the discussion in a certain direction.
I believe that AbdulBari Taher is more vibrant and youthful
and much more of a representative to the youth principles than Yasser Al Roaini
who is kind of the vice president of the NDC and is supposed the youth
So the relationship between the young and the old, the youth and the parties is not a culture clash relationship
We are not at war or dealing with an us and them issue
the relationship is more interactive and comprehensive and both sides decide how this relationship goes.
Islahis and Houthis are competing on religious polarization
and quran memorization sessions and cursing eachother
Socialists and Nasserites are competing on theorizing and Guevara's pictures
Where are people's causes in their agendas?
I hope there would be competition on helping people and establishing centers
How many socialists were sent to learn English or computer skills by their party?
Parties must be up to life's needs and development.
Will the problem be solved when numbers change?
When we have 50%youth in parties?
There are different quotas: 25% or 35% as in India and Pakistan
and some suggest 40%
If I become general secretary and he becomes general secretary assistant, things will change?
Parties stand on interests and coalitions. What is my party's message?
does it answer to my dreams of equal citizenship?
Principles of social justice?
Principle of progressiveness, modernity, democracy and human rights?
This is why we shouldn't get into a fight on generation bases.