MUNs - A platform for government engagement?

The average age of Lok Sabha MP’s is 57.5. In stark contrast, the average age of the Indian population is 27.8. This huge disparity reflects not just the huge disconnect between our legislature and population, but also the lack of representation of the youth’s interests. More than 50% of the Indian population is below 25, and the Lok Sabha, supposedly the ‘House of the People’, does not reflect the reality of India’s population.

The problem of the lack of youth representation in the legislature has manifested itself through a number of issues. One example of this is the once infamous Section 377. A large majority of the youth were strongly against the existence of this pre-colonial section of the Indian Constitution due to its failure to recognise LGBTQIA+ rights and it's (theoretical) imposition of punitive measures on these groups. Section 377 was the subject of much controversy and the vast majority of the criticism against it came from the youth. Despite extensive criticism, the legislature failed to act, and it had to be declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Incidentally, Section 377 was one of the most hotly debated topics at MUNs, which have grown to become one of the most effective platforms for students to voice their opinions.

Dealing with the root cause of the gap between the government and population requires extensive systemic change, but it is important to look for other remedies that will be effective in the near future. Forums like MUNs and student conferences are important platforms for the youth to come together, deliberate, and voice their opinions, and the structured documents that MUNs provide in the form of Draft Resolutions and other documents are excellent mediums for communicating students’ opinions and views. By incorporating the views that students present and articulate in the documentation that MUNs generate, legislators will get a better understanding of the youth’s approach to policy issues, effectively including the youth in the legislative process and closing the huge gap between the legislation and population.

MUNs like DIMUN that have a huge following and widespread participation are well equipped to provide these opinions. This is true for multiple reasons. First, the level quality of discussion and participation at DIMUN is very high, which subsequently ensures that the documents being presented to the government would be of excellent quality. Second, the huge number of participants would ensure that the views provided are widely held and not specific to individuals or certain groups. Finally, the fact that the views are presented after extensive deliberation and fact-checking ensures that they are based on informed research instead of arbitrary statements.

Cooperation between youth platforms like MUNs and the government would bridge the huge gap between under represented sections of the population like students and the legislature and improve the effectiveness of government policy that is relevant to these groups. Platforms like DIMUN are all the more effective because of the high quality of discussion and mass participation. Clearly, there is a strong case for allowing youth platforms like DIMUN to facilitate engagement between two currently unconnected groups.