By Emily M’mangisa
Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson, Justice Chifundo Kachale says solution to political concerns is active participation of the youth in leadership positions.
Kachale made the remarks at the University of Malawi’s (UNIMA) Great Hall in Zomba where the commission held a public lecture under the theme ‘Unlocking the power within youth for future leadership’.
“You might have good blogs, very good Facebook write-ups, but if you don’t vote, the effort is almost nothing,” Kachale said.
He therefore advised the youths to take an active role in electoral processes and further appealed to them to desist from being agents of political violence.
He said research has shown that youths in the Sub Saharan Africa are less likely to vote in political elections for various social factors despite constituting a larger population in most countries, including Malawi.
Kachale said students should not allow themselves to be exploited by politicians if they want change for a better Malawi.
In his remarks, Executive Dean of School of Law, Economics and Governance, Professor Happy Kayuni, hailed MEC for holding the public lecture at UNIMA.
“UNIMA students have been equipped with relevant information regarding electoral reforms and how they should participate in the coming general elections,” Kayuni added.
He pointed out that questions that were asked by students during the public lecture were not solely aimed at improving students’ welfare, but also aimed at advancing the interests of the country regarding elections.
Students in the hall and Malawians who followed the lecture through radio and television stations and on Facebook pages asked questions based on the lecture through a UNIMA WhatsApp number and Facebook page.
A third year student, Jane Kanyangale, urged fellow students to be proactive in Malawi’s politics to create a better environment for the future generation.
Students were eager to learn more on electoral process and said the public lecture was an eye opener and motivated them to be proactive in the electoral processes.
