Young Voices in Politics: Perceptions of Youth Engagement in Sri Lanka

Abstract

This study aims to explore the perceptions of Sri Lankan youth on youth involvement in Sri Lankan politics. Adopting a qualitative approach, data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with five individuals from diverse backgrounds. The findings indicate that most youth feel optimistic about the recent shifts in the political landscape in Sri Lanka, and the youth express a genuine interest in the current political shift from an elite or nepotism-centric system to a more people-centric government. However, many youths remain hesitant to actively engage in politics due to significant limitations they are facing, such as financing their political career and facing difficulty in obtaining nominations from mainstream political parties. The participants voiced concerns about how the already existing youth in active politics has failed in resolving the youth-related issues such as unemployment. Findings of this study suggest the implementation of a mandatory youth quota in both local government bodies and the parliament in the country as a way of increasing youth representation which can result in more effective way of addressing youth related issues.