Malawi: President pleads for time

Malawi's President Bingu wa Mutharika is pleading with citizens to be patient on his plan to economically empower youths with small scale loans to start businesses.
mutharika
“Please be patient as we are to implement the Youth Development Fund because it can not just be done overnight as it’s just few weeks since the national budget was passed by Parliament,” said Mutharika at a press briefing.

The Lilongwe District Youth Officer Allida Mazungwi said it was her prayer that the fund will be implemented to economically empower youths in Malawi. She disclosed that statistics from her office reveals that though more youths and women vote in Malawi, those in authority do not promote their interests after being voted into power.

“Youths and women especially in age bracket 18 to 35 make the largest number of voters in this country. Further, 80 percent of people who attend political rallies during general elections political campaigns are the youths,” said Mazungwi.

She added that before, during and after elections, instead of empowering youths to be fruitful citizens, Malawian politicians use them as violent tools against political opponents. “During general elections prominent politicians exploit youths through giving them some money including beer as baits for inciting violence against their political rivals,” said Mazungwi adding that politicians abuse the youths taking advantage of their poverty.

“But when the youths are apprehended in political violence the same politicians quickly rush to claim that the youths involved don’t belong to their parties and their parties are advocates of peace. They distance themselves from the youths even after the youngsters are caught in violence while in their political colors,” said Mazungwi.

The National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) president Loveness Gondwe who stood as the first female presidential candidate in the May 19 general elections said Malawian politicians cannot use youths for their selfish gains including political violence if the state create employment for them.

“Most youths in this country are living a frustrated life because there is no one to find something for them to do. More often political gurus claim that youths are future leaders yet do nothing to uplift their lives to the extent that some youths are suffering from abject poverty. Some are even ruining their lives by smoking Indian hemp,” said Gondwe.