Lesson from Philippines: Invest in youth to strengthen democracy

From Thailand to Indonesia, and from Myanmar to here in the Philippines, the way forward to strengthened governance and democracy in some of Southeast Asia’s largest nations remains far from smooth. But there is hope that young people can indeed also lead the way ahead.
A review of the headlines and social media feeds could well make one lose heart. The Philippines is a case in point. Breaking news flashes and trending Tweets and Facebook posts from the Philippines magnify the many not insignificant challenges facing the country. 
The ongoing war on drugs, the battle against violent extremists in the southern region of Mindanao, and the seemingly endemic corruption and enduring poverty that has eroded public confidence in Philippine government across presidential administrations are not for the faint of heart. Solving these problems requires not just the commitment and ingenuity of current politicians, but the engagement of the next generation of civic and political leaders. 
That’s true across a region where democracy often struggles. 
Yet, in Manila, I also found reason for optimism. I had the privilege of witnessing the incredible strides made by some young Filipino leaders firsthand when I joined a recent graduation ceremony for the International Republican Institute’s Young Leaders for Good Governance Fellowship. This YLGGF initiative is a year-long programme for local government leaders under 40 years old. I was struck by the enthusiasm and clear vision these young officials had for their cities, municipalities and country.
In one instance, a councillor from Illocos Sur, in the northwest of the Philippines, spoke at length about the need for young people to learn farming techniques from ageing farmers in her municipality. Many farmers have contributed significantly to the local economy, but may well retire or pass away before sharing their skills with apprentices. In response to this challenge, this councillor created the “Farmbassadors” programme to pair older farmers with unemployed youth to create jobs and foster a more inclusive community.
Disruption can come in many forms. These young people are not content to wait for solutions for their problems to be delivered from the top down. Instead, they are seeking to extend their participation in politics at the same time as their national government prepares to devolve more powers to the local level to enhance public services and better respond to citizens’ needs.
With a Filipino population of some 50 million under the age of 24, the nation’s decision-makers simply cannot afford to neglect the employment, education and social needs of this enormous constituency. Poor economic opportunities, especially outside of “imperial Manila”, are contributing to feelings of disillusionment. This in turn may well feed into larger challenges to social cohesion including anti-social behaviour, drug abuse, and even violent extremism.
And herein also lies a lesson for all Southeast Asia, including Thailand.
Effective and engaged leaders who invest in building resilience to such risks are crucial to a nation’s future. Support from Asean and the larger international community can also play a valuable role. As a nation’s generations of young people move into increasingly important positions of responsibility, political leaders at all levels must seize the opportunities presented by political reforms to build a better country for all.
That approach – investing in youth to strengthen governance – is one that could well benefit all of the region’s governments, fully democratic or not. Identifying young Southeast Asian leaders can be the easy part. The shared, ongoing larger challenge is to invest in and support them. The result will be a stronger region for generations to come.

Curtis S Chin, a former US ambassador to the Asian Development Bank, is managing director of advisory firm RiverPeak Group. Follow him on Twitter at @CurtisSChin.