01/2012 PANORAMA INSIGHTS INTO ASIAN AND EUROPEAN AFFAIRS YOUTH Future Agents of Change or Guardians of Establishment? K o n r a d A d e n a u e r S t i f t u n g Panorama: Insights into Asian and European Affairs is a series of occasional papers published by the Konrad- Adenauer-Stiftung’s “Regional Programme Political Dialogue Asia/Singapore”. © 2012 Copyright by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Singapore All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying or recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission from the publisher. Editor: Dr. Wilhelm Hofmeister Sub-editor: Megha Sarmah Publisher: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung 34/36 Bukit Pasoh Road Singapore 089848 Tel: (65) 6227-2001 Tel: (65) 6227-8343 Email: [email protected] Website: http//:www.kas.de/singapore Manuscript offers, review copies, exchange journals, and requests for subscription are to be sent to the editors. The responsibility for facts and opinions in this publication rests exclusively with the authors and their interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views or the policy of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. Cover photo © AFP, Andrey Stenin Egypt, Cairo: Rioters in the Egyptian capital, with thousands of people demanding resignation of the Cabinet of Ministers and Military Council. Design, Layout and Typeset: Select Books Pte Ltd 65A, Jalan Tenteram #02-06, St Michael’s Industrial Estate Singapore 328958 Website: www.selectbooks.com.sg PAnorAmA InsIGhts Into AsIAn And EuroPEAn AFFAIrs Youth Future Agents of Change or Guardians of Establishment? Contents PREFACE 7 ASIA Youth Political Participation in Asia: Outlooks in Malaysia and Indonesia 11 Rashila Ramli Youth, Politics and Social Media in Southeast Asia: Trends, Events and Implications 19 Shobha Vadrevu and Sun Sun Lim Youth Migration and Development in Asia 29 Jorge V. Tigno Youth’s Participation in Anti-Corruption Movement in South Asia: Is There Such a Movement? 41 Sanjay Kumar New Enemy of the State: Youth in Post-New Order Indonesia 51 Manneke Budiman; Yuka D.N. Mangoenkoesoemo; P. Ayu Indah Wardhani; and Nila Ayu Utami Cambodian Youth: Future Agents of Change? 69 Sopheap Chak Unleashing the Power of the Youth in the Philippines 79 Lesley Jeanne Y. Cordero Youth and Climate Change in Asia 85 Lee Chean Chung Whither Autocracy? The Arab Revolt One Year On 89 James M. Dorsey EUROPE Youth and Participation in Europe 99 Johann de Rijke Youths and New Ways of Exercising Citizenship 109 Anne Muxel Rioting in the Cities? Challenges of Socio-economic Change for Young People in England Today 119 Martha Wörsching Youths in Poland and their Attitudes towards Politics, Democracy, and Political Involvement 135 Bernadette Jonda Youth, Society, Participation: A German Perspective on Structural Conditions for Political Participation 147 Liane Pluto and Mike Seckinger Adolescents and Young Adults in Germany: Increasing Willingness to Perform and a Growing Sense of Social Responsibility 157 Martina Gille Preface The “Pirates” is a new political movement that had first been formed in Sweden and emerged in different European countries. Initially, the new movement was supported mainly by young people. Preservation of civil rights on the internet and opposition to the so-called data retention policies of the European Union have been main drivers for the creation of this movement. Issues of concern for these parties are information privacy, i.e., the rejection of the collection and storage of personal data by government agencies, reforms of copyright, education, the handling of genetic patents and drug policies. They promote the enhanced transparency of government by implementing “open-source government”, and they want to facilitate the creation of an open architec- ture for sharing content and data between communities and applications in the internet. In Germany, the “Pirates” converted into a political party in 2006. Since 2011, they have been winning parliamentary representation each time they participate in an election. Now they are represented in four regional parliaments of Federal States. As national polls show, they have for now quite a stable support of between 8 to 12% of the national electorate. Therefore, it is very probable that “the Pirates” will gain (or “enter”, as they express it) a good number of seats in the national parliament after the next general elections of 2013. Then, eventually, “the Pirates” will even influence the build- ing of the next federal government, because the success of this new political party can make it impossible to build a two-party-coalition government in the traditional way. Why do I tell the story of the “Pirates” and their political success in Germany? Because this issue of Panorama: Insights into Asian and European Affairs is about youth and politics. In the last few years, we can observe in different parts of the world new ways and expressions of political activism and engagement by young people. The “Pirates” is only one phenomenon beside others. The “occupy movement” is another one. As an international protest movement against economic and social inequality, it seems to have an even stronger international character than the “Pirates”. However, like those, it also gained relevance because of the support of young people. Needless to say, the use of social media has been extremely relevant for the spreading of this movement; as it has been for others, like the anti-corruption movements in Latin America and Asia; the protests of school pupils and university students in Chile against the govern- ment’s education policy, which gained worldwide attention; and not least, the so-called “Arab Spring”, the uprising of broad popular movements against authoritarian govern- ments in the countries of the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Young people were at the forefront of these anti-government protest, as they have been in the forefront of all Preface the other movements mentioned above. Youth movements can challenge national governments and build strong national and even international actors. They may not represent, at least at a first glance, a 7 majority. However they are an expression of the changes and demands of an impor- tant sector of societies. With decreasing employment opportunities in many countries, a large mass of frustrated youth is likely to become a potential source of social and political instability. While this kind of frustration and competition for jobs does not directly fuel violence, it does increase the likelihood that these unemployed youths will seek social and economic advancement by alternative means and that they will look for alternative forms of political participation and representation. Youth are the nation builders of tomorrow and their participation in politics and society is integral for development. By harnessing the talent of youth, nations can build a lasting foundation for prosperity. The future belongs to the youth and society should do their part to involve them. Therefore, we should be interested in all those affairs that affect youth and make it politically active. This is the reason why we dedicate this issue of our journal to the youth. We have tried to present a wide range of topics about youths’ perceptions and behaviour in Asia and Europe. Perhaps this material can con- tribute to discussions on effective policies to offer the young people new opportunities in changing societies. Dr. Wilhelm Hofmeister Regional Director Youth: Future Agents of Change or Guardians Establishment? Future Youth: 8 ASIA Youth Political Participation in Asia: Outlooks in Malaysia and Indonesia Rashila Ramli Introduction The presence of youth in all society is a cause for celebration. The presence signifies the continuation of future generation in all realms of life. More importantly, the cohort provides states and societies with energy of creativity, and skills. The involvement of youth in all spheres of life becomes imperative especially for developing countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia in Southeast Asia. While one celebrates the boundless energy associated with youthfulness, one can also become apprehensive in trying to understand youth in one’s own society. Today’s youth grow up with more information, attachment to technological gadgets, and the belief in themselves that they can influence events around them. The participation of youth in a number of national uprisings such as the Arab Spring indicates the activism of youth within the public sphere. What are some of the global trends in terms of youth studies? What are youth perspectives on issues, especially in politics and decision- making? Are youth agents of change or consumerist in nature? How do youth use the social media in political engagement? This paper attempts to identify factors influencing youth’s political participation. Using the Malaysian and Indonesian examples, it will highlight findings of recent youth studies. On a more substantive note, this paper suggests that youth of Malaysia and Indonesia view politics differently and that social media does play an important role in their lives. Approaches to Youth Studies Youth will be the next generation of policy makers, innovators and workers. A number of studies have been conducted in order to understand the needs of youth, their Asia: Outlooks in Malaysia and Indonesia Political Participation in Youth political perspectives and well as their sociological/psychological well-being. How does one frame the study on youth? 11 In a study by Gilliam and Bales (2001), it is shown that the concept of framing, especially through the media, tends to problematize youth as a group with excessive tendencies and highlight incidents pertaining to sexuality and risk-taking. Once prob- lematic images and youth become an acceptable “paired-up”, it becomes difficult to discern the positive attributes of youth. Cullen and Wright (2002), on the other hand, manage to compile an impressive list of indicators that debunk the problematic images of youth.