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Published on November 8, 2007

The politicians don't seem to realise that their daily tragi-comic show of shifting loyalty and their parade of big lies constitute a major insult to the public.

But then, the fact that a good part of the media shows no qualms about pandering to the public's love of political trivia must have helped fuel the popularity of soap-opera politics that we have been witnessing day-in day-out over the past few weeks.

A general sense of despair among voters over the politics-as-usual atmosphere must have contributed to the apparent decline from simple mediocrity to gutter politics. Persistent speculation that money - and not merit or a sound platform - will dictate the outcome of the December 23 poll has also brought about a let-it-be attitude among a good segment of the population.

While I have given up hope on the Old Guard - which is trying desperately to hold on to power by all manner of subterfuge and outright manoeuvring - there is every reason to believe that a new surge of youthful enthusiasm can keep tabs on the scandal-tainted electioneering and still save the day.

A last-minute social shift towards a rise of young voters could still turn the mood of desperation around. Political candidates, especially those who assume that they can automatically buy up the poor northeastern voters with their dirty money, must be made to realise that they can ignore the young voters, both in the capital and in provincial centres, at their own peril.

It's not only the size of the youth vote in terms of percentage of the total electorate that matters. What's more important is youth's role in posing the right questions to the candidates, and raising the crucial questions that concern all age groups and minorities that will help set the election campaign agenda.

Instead of letting the conventional press fall into the politicians' trap of covering the daily routine, the useless trivial news of party hopping, and the scandals involving betrayed loyalties, young voters can get themselves organised into a new social force to pose questions that really matter, to all the parties concerned - questions on education reform, alternative energy and global warming.

Under the present system, only political parties and the media, together with the National Election Commission, have the right to set the rules of the game on how the public can have access to the election campaign. But once a Young Voters' Network is set up, a new voice can have a say in how the election debate format will be devised.

Left to the Old Guard, the whole exercise - which is, in fact, crucial as a signpost on the country's new political roadmap - would just be a tedious repeat of the old routine, ensuring that old faces would still hold sway. With the new input of a youthful electorate, however, the whole format could be improved to make sure that more relevant and comprehensive questions are put by members of the public, questions that are truly representative of society. In other words, every attempt must be made to prevent the political class from monopolising the agenda.

Unlike their elders, whose political outlets have been overwhelmed by the manipulation of old hands in various parties, young voters can embrace online innovations to push for change. Video-clips, blogs and podcasts can only strengthen conventional reporting and draw in a younger audience from around the country.

A politically engaged generation could thus be created to monitor, debate and redefine such overused terms as "democracy", "ethics" and "national interest" for the rest of the electorate. What's more, the youth movement could also use both online and offline networks to highlight a stream of under-reported issues and lesser-known candidates.

The general electorate has so far been cornered and forced to make a choice between the old power clique and the current power group. That, of course, is an outright travesty. The birth of a young voters' movement could expose that and add a totally new and refreshing dimension to the otherwise gloomy election campaign.

Suthichai Yoon

The Nation

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