24/03/2026
I may stand to be mocked for this, but I genuinely struggle to understand why younger people today often need to be enticed with trendy initiatives like “Niko Kadi, Tuko Kadi” just to patriotically exercise a free, simple democratic right—registering as a voter.
In our time, things were different. Beyond just registering, many of us willingly participated in civic education with little to no expectation of reward—sometimes just basic facilitation. There was a strong sense of duty, a quiet understanding that nation-building required personal responsibility. I still recall how we would stand at attention in the middle of the road when the Chief’s flag was being hoisted or lowered—not out of compulsion, but out of respect and shared values.
Maybe the real question is not why young people need incentives—but whether we, as a society, have done enough to make civic duty meaningful, relevant, and worth believing in again.
Patriotism shouldn’t have to be marketed—but perhaps it now needs to be reintroduced in a language this generation understands.
