Why participate in parliamentary elections

According to the United Nations’ definition, youth are people between the ages when they leave compulsory education and when they find their first job.

Seventy per cent of Jordan’s population are below 30 and 22 per cent are between 15 and 24 years old. 

The majority struggle to find a decent job in the domestic market and lack the skills required to compete in the global market.

The unemployment rate in Jordan stands at 14 per cent. Among the youth it is 30 per cent. 

So how should the youth take advantage of the opportunities that the political process offers (parliamentary elections, for example) to address the challenges of unemployment and political participation and make them a priority on the agenda of the current government?

First of all, participation should not be a goal in itself. If we are to participate, we must seek results and achievements. 

Election day is not a carnival to celebrate, it is a day when we decide where our country is heading.

Voting is a basic human right for all citizens.

Second, we should not abstain from voting because negativity and scepticism will lead us nowhere. It is better to fail and learn than just watch the process and criticise the outcome.

Third, we should demand peacefully, through our democratically elected institutions, the change of Article 10-b in the Elections Law that allows Jordanians to candidate only if they are above 30 years of age. 

Fourth should be the recognition by the different institutions, sectors and influence groups in the country that the youth must be represented in Parliament.

We are a generation that has been witnessing tremendous changes and developments in the world.

We have witnessed the immense growth of Internet, the rise of terrorism, the Arab Spring and much more, so we have to be brave, and face and solve challenges. Hiding will only complicate things more.

John F. Kennedy once said “our problems are man-made, therefore they can be solved by man”.

Amro Khasawneh,
Warsaw,
Poland