One of the phenomenons of the 1998 General Election was the high enthusiasm and involvement of young voters.

With change in the air, many were actively involved in electioneering and felt they were part of something momentous - the first time that power had changed hands since the beginning of party politics, an exciting and different challenge for people who had known no government other than the United Bermuda Party.

What a difference five years makes.

According to young voters whom The Royal Gazette interviewed last week and profiled on Saturday, many young voters are disillusioned and sceptical about the ability of either party to deliver on their promises.

Some of this is inevitable: The euphoria of the 1998 election raised expectations to levels that almost certainly could not be met by even the best government. And when failure to meet such high expectations is compounded by the Housing Corporation scandal, Berkeley and so on, then the young are the most likely to be disenchanted as they find their idealism knocked, perhaps for the first time.

It is interesting that many young people cited housing as one of their major concerns. There has been a good deal written and broadcast about the challenges of high sale and rental prices for families, but young people have not really been heard from on this issue until now.

But people in their early 20s who wish to strike out on their own find it increasingly difficult to do so, given the high level of rents for studio and one-bedroom apartments.

This may be particularly frustrating for people who have studied or worked abroad and lived happily on their own or with roommates. Returning to Bermuda and to the family home out of financial necessity is an aggravation.

Young people are not the only ones who are frustrated by the housing shortage, people of all ages are. But it suggests that this may be a major challenge for the Government to explain why, according to its own record of achievements, it has taken five years for it to "plan" 100 new homes as opposed to building 100 new homes.

The UBP, for its part, was defeated in part because it was insensitive to the housing shortage and the needs of low income people. Its task is to convince the electorate that it is sensitive to the issue and will act on it.

But disenchanted voters should not opt out.

They should let their candidates know how deeply they feel about housing and other issues. Then they should vote for the candidate or party whom they feel will act in their best interests. Then they should hold their elected officials accountable.