Young activists and politicians meet for PMT Batch 5

Now on it’s 5th batch, the Political Management Training for Young Progressives (PMT) once again convened young activists and politicians from all over Asia for 5 days of skills-building and knowledge-sharing across ideological and thematic topics.

Representatives from social democratic parties in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, and Timor-Leste met in Cebu City, Philippines to undergo trainings on progressive leadership, facilitation for social justice and political communications.

"Create an equalized platform (for those without power). Give everybody access to the discussion. Otherwise, you are excluding their needs. The solutions won't be comprehensive, effective, and you miss the opportunity to cultivate solidarity," said Aimee Santos-Lyons, the speaker on Facilitation for Social Justice.

They also participated in sessions on comparative ideology, human rights, ASEAN, and labor and party relations.

Adonis Elumbre, our speaker for Comparative Ideology said, "Some view ideologies as doctrinal, some see it as a way of thinking, a philosophy... Ideologies are very important, but they do not substitute for political realities."

Most importantly, as young social democrats, the participants learned more about the history and principles of social democracy as well as social democratic welfare system.

Asked about his reflections for the first cluster, Peter Soo from Democratic Action Party Malaysia mentioned how important important it is to have cultural exchanges. “From their experiences, we can learn what policies we can develop, and what else shouldn’t be forwarded,” he said.

“I learned about the political situation of Asia and of different countries,” said Desca Daming of Partai Nasdem Indonesia. She said the highlight of Cluster 1 was the connection she made with other young leaders and that she’s thankful for the opportunity to experience international solidarity.

The young progressives are excited to meet again for Cluster 2 on October 8-13, 2019 in Manila, Philippines.