Student Politics
80pc youths have adverse perception
Says national survey
Over 80 percent of youths have an adverse perception on student politics while 55 percent of them disapproved of the involvement of youths in politics, states a national survey.
Only two percent of the youths admitted to have any political affiliation, it added.
However, it might be a case of underreporting over fears of being targeted by opposing groups and stigmatisation, said speakers at the survey's disclosure in the capital's Brac Centre Inn on Thursday.
The survey, “Giving Youth a Voice Bangladesh Youth Survey 2011”, was conducted among approximately 6,500 youths in 65 districts by Institute of Governance Studies of Brac University.
Nearly 80 percent of the respondents also professed an opposition for hartals, with most of the rest supporting it only somewhat.
Most of the youths defined democracy as having a “free and fair election” and a strong election commission was seen to be a strong preference among them.
The majority of the respondents also objected to holding elections under the ruling party as it would compromise the level of transparency.
The survey revealed that the majority of the youths ranked both of the previous politically elected governments lower than the last caretaker government.
Over 60 percent also said a free and fair election could only be achieved if political parties respected each other while most professed to being very dissatisfied with the performance of the lawmakers.
More than 80 percent had reservations about the involvement of political leaders in the process of justice delivery, with over 30 percent being highly opposed to the notion.
The survey identified the police and judiciary as the most corrupt institutions. However, there was quite some support for Rapid Action Battalion.
Most youths identified murder as the most extreme form of crime, with drug abuse and dowry-related crimes following closely.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments