President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has said that the Government aims at shaping a society that respects and depends on its youth, and one that the youth feel that they belong to.
He made this remark while speaking at the function held to celebrate the success of the Government’s sports manifesto, “Sports Manifesto Guaranteed”.
In his speech, President Yameen stated that if the youth are more confident of their self-worth, they would become more responsible towards what they can do for the nation, and start doing their part for the well-being of the country. President urged youth to work towards fulfilling their aims and assured that the Government will seek to secure resources to assist youth in the process.
President Yameen also noted that the youth were not a population only involved in sports, and urged the Maldivian youth to be enthusiastically active in building the society, and bringing an impactful change to the country. He also appealed youth to refrain from criminal activities.
He also pointed out that athletes acted as society’s role models all over the world, and that in the Maldives too there were several ways that Maldivian athletes could contribute to the society. President Yameen added that the youth were the decision makers of the future.
He added that the criteria for the national awards for this year has been changed to reflect this aspect. As such, national awards will be awarded to those advocating a drug and tobacco free nation, lower crime rates and youth volunteers.