Is the World listening to What Young People are saying?

Yes! it is young people again who have had enough and are doing something about that, starting in North Africa, Tunisia to be specific. What I am not sure is whether the world understands and hears what they are saying. The world seems to be reacting to what they want to hear and obviously preferring not to hear the other messages that are uncomfortable to the ‘peaceful” world.

In the conference I have just attended in London the stability and corruption indexes showed Tunisia, as shining star, very stable and almost imuned of corruption. These are indeces updated to 2010.

The European community was in the process of finalising yet another arms deal with Libya when the young people gate crashed and spoilt the party.

The Financial times of 3 March, carried one of the articles”UAE offers poor states $1.5 billion. Ask why now?

The starting question being asked by young people seem to be a simple one of “who gave you this right to want to rule us forever”. This is against the backdrop of where most of these rulers were already lining up their family members to take over from them. The questions which I get a feeling the world is closing their ears to are directed at most countries regarded as democracies and have to include:

1.Why are you messing up with our future? The question is directed at countries that collect huge amounts of money from taxpayers and do not develop proper education and training policies and do not adequately invested in education related infrastructure.

2.Why is there so much unemployment of Young people? Look at most of the countries and check the young (up to 35 years) peopleunemployment ratse. It is scary for people whoshould be starting to establish themselves.

3.Why do you continue to trade and do business with despots?
It is amazing that to date, I have yet not heard the voice of the AU on all what is happening.Their silence is deafening,but I can understand. They are confronted with the biblical “let the one who has no sin throw the first stone”. Most are waiting and hoping that this is a passing wave and they will ride it and continue to do what they were doing. I am not so sure.

We should say thanks to Young people for showing leadership and courage. It had to get to a stage like this, the way things were going.

The world had long accepted the suffering of the young people and the world was continuing as though there is no crisis “what crisis” they were asking.

As we look at these developments, we should be listening to the real message. The world has been given an opportunity, by young people, to do serious introspection. Let us not burry our heads in the sand : this is not a wave, it’s a revolution led by your people only armed with the social net working. Will tomorrow be the same as today and yesterday? Let’s answer this question with honesty.