Serhat Akpınar: Universities can become a bridge between youth and politics

MP from the Democrat Party (DP) and founder of Girne American University (Girne Amerikan Üniversitesi, GAÜ), Serhat Akpınar, stated that universities are capable of playing a key role in establishing dialogue between the younger generation and political parties.

Speaking on a television program and answering questions from journalist Didem Gürses, Akpınar noted that a gap has formed between the active political elite and the new generation, which he described as a “gap in knowledge and communication.”

According to him, the rotation of administrative and political positions is a natural and inevitable process. Akpınar emphasized that experienced politicians who have fulfilled their mission and receive corresponding signals from their base should gracefully make room for the young, sharing their experience and stepping back from active roles — as is customary in modern democracies.

Akpınar also stressed that proper political communication with young people should become part of the institutional culture of parties, and that universities can serve as a guide in this regard.

He proposed more actively utilizing the academic potential of fields such as political science, communications, and the humanities, including:

• research,
• open lectures for youth,
• seminars and workshops,
• the study of international experience in youth political participation.

According to him, higher education institutions in Northern Cyprus, including the universities he founded, are capable of making a significant contribution to the formation of modern, clear, and youth-appropriate political communication.

“This should be seen not only as a necessity, but also as an element of social consensus,” Akpınar emphasized.