KATHMANDU: Nepal’s political sphere is marred with debates on youth’s representation and participation. Many firmly believe that meaningful participation is the only remedy for the radical political changes that we seek. But are we expecting too much from youth leaders when they too come from the same socio-economic background?Throughout the history of the world, youth contribution in politics is undeniably

instrumental. Nepal has also witnessed heroic deeds from youth for political change. Recent rapid political advancement has raised caste,

ethnicity, deprived and zonal representation. The young gene-ration’s participation in the political setup is thought of

as an essential factor that led to deserved change.Nepal’s debate about young people and political leadership also hit the limelight after Janadolan-II. This is probably a result of the same old faces at the helm and their inability to turn commitments into

actions. The frustration was clearly visible during the Constituent Assembly elect-ion; old faces were removed by

the people’s verdict. But the new faces — most of them younger — have failed to deliver as expected.People are relentlessly blaming the old political leaders for all the present chaos. Many seem to have the radical view that removing the old leadership from the hot seat is the only option left for the country to stride towards a better future. Undoubtedly, the foremost reason is our youth’s backwardness in politics. Tokenism and insignificant participation in political procedures is another argument that backs their debates. But despite all the arguments,

we are probably expecting too much from the young leaders.For example, traffic jams might elaborate how we collectively think and act.

We know Nepal has poorly managed traffic and frequent bottlenecks. Who is responsible for the chaos? We can list

hundreds of factors and mostly blame government bodies — from narrow roads to corrupt officers. We breach the traffic rules, consciously or

unconsciously, regardless of age. In aggregate, we tend to blame others and the traffic system in general, forgetting the  responsibility that we should have fulfilled.The same thing persists in politics as well, and again, this is regardless of age and other factors. It is not merely age that will bring change in political spheres and leadership. It is how we act on certain issues. What matters most is the dimension of how

we assess certain problems and act on it. The political leadership, despite age and other factors, has the same infectious practice that negatively impacts the country’s growth. The only remedy for all the leaders, from all generations, is to develop a habit of

responsibility. All should tep in to claim responsibility rather than blame.(The author is the MD, trainer and consultant of

Aadhar Development Pvt Ltd. Also the founding member and consultant of Catalyst for Transformation Pvt Ltd,

he can be contacted at sanamchitrakar@gmail.com)