MONROVIA – Coalition of Concern Youth Movement (CCYM) a civil society group, has called on the Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY), the Liberia National Students Union (LINSU), and the Mano River Union Youth Parliament (MRUYP) to define their actual roles and expansionary vision as youth and students institutions in Liberia.
Report by Francis G. Boayue
The group on Monday through a press statement read by Ebenezer Saah Davies stated that LINSU, FLY, and the MRUPD “have turned to an auxiliary group for the ruling political party; and have more alike been controlled by the highest bidder, an embarrassing situation which has seen the aspiration and dreams of young people go down the drain”.
He stated that in 1958, 1978, and 2003, the then generation of youth and student leaders with a more strong spirit and progressive desire didn’t propagate the message for the establishment of the Federation of Liberia Youth, the Liberia National Student Union, and Mano River Union Youth Parliament only because of what they could get for their stomachs.
According to him, Liberia’s youth lack a major voice and a lost representation since leaders of these institutions have aligned themselves to trade the issues that would give them employment after serving these positions.
According to the Coalition of Concern Youth Movement, these institutions have failed to attach values by adhering to policy and constitutional mandates and to create close coordination supported by more robust programs and campaigns focused on transformational results rather than just seeing the positions for a mere bluff.
The Coalition: “Under the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development-PAPD, We acknowledged that most variables within the National Youth Policy and Action Plan are vague and do not provide handling solutions to current issues faced by young people of this country; this same framework document in its so-called quest to enhance youth development, social cohesiveness has denied many youth institutions of subsidies and have created a limited vacuum for youth involvement in the decision-making process.”
“In these transitional periods, we cautioned a more programed and advocacy focused than one that only relies on Government subsidies and political godfather at the detriment of the institution. We cautioned that FLY will be rebranded to stand on its own, operate to impress Article 5 (Activities) of its Constitution, boasts its support from non-governmental institutions, and renew the institution from the pockets of politicians who later silence the core intentions of the institutions. With deep heart, we cautioned that these institutions will invest in innovative and stand-alone ventures that fill the gaps in the youth development indexes and turn themselves into household names once again for the right reason,” he noted.
