Where are young voters? - Part 2: The need to express

Many wishes to convey

“Overwhelmed with information but blind to knowledge” is what Le Ngoc Phuc, Captain of the Youth Volunteer Team of Hai Duong Medical Technical University, shared when talking about young people's interest in political and current issues.

Phuc is a 4th year student, active and enthusiastic in social and volunteer activities. Coming from Thanh Hoa to Hai Duong to live and study, Phuc has had to face life more and has gained more experiences and knowledge from reality. According to Phuc, social networks have developed, accessing information has become easier, and the need for expression of young people has also increased.

“When I see information discussing support for medical students or everyday things like electricity and water prices, daily consumption, or even big political issues, sometimes I want to express my personal views. Currently, I have not found a suitable channel for young people to receive opinions except for the school's suggestion box through social networking sites. However, this address is also limited to studying, cultivating, and training, and does not cover all aspects of young people's lives,” Phuc said.

Mr. Hoang Gia Luc, born in 1992 in Xa Son village, Quang Thanh commune (Kinh Mon) is one of the few young Party cell secretaries and village heads in the province. With a master's degree in Economic Law and youthful enthusiasm, Mr. Luc is attached to the grassroots, directly managing and directing the common work of the village and realizing that solving problems must come from practice, not mechanically or dogmatically.

“In addition to being the Party Cell Secretary and Village Chief, I am also a representative of the Commune People's Council, so I am aware of my responsibilities and obligations. Many local issues arise from the perspective and thinking of young people, which is also more fresh,” Mr. Luc assessed.

In fact, young people and young voters are a large force with many ideas and ambitions. This also needs to be an important reference channel for building mechanisms and policies.

Fighting, divorce, traffic violations, e-cigarette management, and issues closely related to daily life such as management of counterfeit cosmetics and clothing of major brands are also pressing issues for young people.

At the same time, major policies that many young people are looking forward to in the current situation, such as housing support policies for low-income people, population and marriage policies, employment support for young people, creating conditions to promote young people's integration... are also issues that young voters are very interested in and often discuss enthusiastically when given the opportunity.

Still shy

Although there are many thoughts, most of them remain in thoughts and have not been expressed because they have not been inspired, guided, or expressed in the right forum. Many young people grasp a large amount of information but are not profound enough, so they are afraid to share their views and opinions.

Many issues and trends that young people are interested in are somewhat “out of sync” with the political and current affairs of the country… Objectively speaking, young people have many playgrounds and forums, but they are not really of high quality, systematic and professional. Therefore, amidst the information that surrounds them, some young people are still immature and have low political awareness.

Mr. Nguyen Van Bang, a young voter born in 1993 in Ninh Giang district, is a worker in a foreign electronic components company in Dai An industrial park (Hai Duong city). Due to his stressful and busy work, Mr. Bang has to keep up with all the information from the outside world through his smartphone.

Recently, he has been interested in information about social housing and workers' housing because of his own needs. However, his understanding is only one-sided, stopping at searching and collecting information. Mr. Bang said that he is a beneficiary of the State's policies but does not know how to participate in the policies.

“If I have the opportunity, I will not hesitate to express my opinions and views on building social housing and worker accommodation. Because this is a benefit that is close to the workers and laborers. Moreover, regulations and mechanisms to encourage and support the workforce need the voice of this force,” Mr. Bang expressed.

Ms. Pham Thi Minh Nguyet, born in 2000, is currently the youngest commune-level Youth Union Secretary in the province. After graduating from the Foreign Trade University, Ms. Nguyet worked in Ngoc Son commune (Hai Duong city) and assumed the position of "leader" of the union at a relatively young age.

However, sometimes Ms. Nguyet still feels confused and hesitant to express her opinions and suggestions at meetings with voters because she is afraid of lacking knowledge, experience, and being afraid of confrontation.

“I have participated in several meetings with voters and found that most of the voters who expressed their opinions were middle-aged and older people. While many issues require contributions and recommendations from young people, they do not dare to speak up. I think I need to continue to cultivate and practice to overcome barriers and accumulate enough experience and knowledge to boldly speak up for young people in such forums,” said Ms. Nguyet.

One of the reasons why elected representatives have not heard the voices of many young people is due to the hesitation and concern that they only have the advantage of youth but the limitation of lack of experience.

Next time

Bringing parliament closer to young people