In the coming election thousands of young people will be voting for the first time. One of the milestones of adulthood is the right to choose the leaders of your country in a democratic process. I am not one to complain about the lack of interest of the younger generations in politics.

Our young people, like those in all other western countries, may find the daily reporting on politics in the media rather boring. They prefer to observe what is going on around them that affect their lives, and form their own opinion on whether they consider a particular political party as being more sensitive to their aspirations than an opposing party.

Over the years our young people have put aside the tradition of voting according to the political allegiances of their parents, and have made up their own minds as to whom they should trust. They can recognise incompetence when they see it manifested in the simple events of their everyday lives.

They are not duped by political rhetoric and are not blinded by misguided loyalty to a particular candidate of a political party simply for the sake of tradition. I admire young people today because, unlike most of us who belong to a previous generation, they can call a spade a spade without fear of being singled out as dissenters. Our young people do not fear change because they know that change has the ability to bring about renewal in political life.

Of course, not all young people in Malta face the same challenges. We have a sizeable section of our youth who have done well for themselves in the education field, and whose aspiration is to find a good job that will guarantee them a decent standard of living. Our education system has produced some excellent professionals in IT, engineering, accountancy, medicine and management.

These young people are as good as any that come out from the best educational systems in the most advanced European countries. We salute these young professionals and tell them that Malta needs their talents.

A Labour government will give these young people a chance to lead the major reforms this country needs to be successful. We rely on their abilities to bring about change and their young age, rather than a handicap, will be considered an essential ingredient to promote entrepreneurship and dynamism in the way be manage our economy.

However, we also have a very large sector of young people who have to struggle to achieve the minimum standard of educational achievement that in today’s economic realities is essential for survival. Far too many of our young people are being short-changed by our education system that cannot cope with young people who are less motivated because of the particular family environment they come from.

The families of these young people need all the help they can get and a new Labour government will put the redemption of these young people from the human scrap heap high on its political agenda. We need to work with the parents, the educators, the business community, and sociologists to understand why these young people are under-achieving and thereby risk becoming social misfits in a society that traditionally valued the inclusion of all in the core of our social and economic life.

We cannot afford to have a new apartheid in our country where the successful half of our young population thrives on the opportunities that come their way, while the other half sinks in social and economic poverty because it does not find the help of the State in times of difficulty.

A new Labour government will build an alliance with all young people to bring about the changes in our society that are so badly needed if we are to move out of the mediocrity with which our country is being managed. We welcome all those young people who see value in change, not just for themselves, but also for those around them who at present are struggling to cope.

Our young people are the best hope for this country. They are the ones who will bring about change because they want the social fabric of our society to be strengthened through the participation of everyone in the political, social and economic life of our country. This is why Labour welcomes those who feel the need for change.

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www.mangioncharles.com

Dr Mangion is deputy leader of the Opposition.