What’s in store for us? Beer sachets?

The road to 2014 is being lessened each passing day. This is all because we are witnessing a lot of activities on the political front day in day out. Politicians are very busy strategising on how they would be approaching the 2014 polls in search for a winning formula. One thing is paramount, people are eagerly waiting for change and politicians themselves seem to be carrying the message of change to the electorates, at least they believe so.

In my head some thoughts are being whispered as to which one might be the winning formula in 2014? In my thoughts am seeing one group that might be crucial to the King making process, the youths. These are the king-makers and politicians will be risking their political careers if they disregard this group going to the polls. 

Most politicians think the role for the youths is simply to paint themselves in orange, blue or yellow colours, bundle them in trucks, buy them sachets and make them become lead praise singers at political rallies that’s all. How will that bring votes? How does that become a winning formula? It adds colour to their meetings and helps in bringing all the noise they need yes, but one thing I know is that that’s not what the youths want.

A crafty politician would take that as a sign that most young people in the country have got literally nothing to do. The craftiness comes when one takes an advantage of that and brand it as one of the core messages of his/her campaign trail. 

The high levels of unemployment amongst the youths are nothing but an embarrassment to the people in power. That’s where one would kill it. We would like to hear what the next government would be doing for the youths in terms of job creation. What policies should we be looking forward to that will help the unemployed youth, in strengthening their personal, social and professional competence? How will the policy give and enhance their abilities and employ-ability through personal empowerment? Change will only come if there is much emphasis on the fight against youth unemployment.

So far I have heard of Atupele Muluzi’s Agenda for change, am yet to familiarise myself to the details of this Agenda for change though but the fact still remains, the young Muluzi has excited everything about the youths. They believe that this is the change they need. They believe that having one of their own as the most top person will work to their advantage.

President Joyce Banda has also made known of the opening that she found in South Korea and Dubai for the youths. She believes that’s the way to go regarding job creation. She has been talking about youth empowerment as one of the priorities of her government. 

Professor Peter Mutharika told us in his acceptance speech at the convention that his government would be doing the following for the youths; Create diverse jobs for the Youth who are out of school, Planning the means of employment for the Youth in school, empowering them with the knowledge and skills for creating wealth at individual and national levels.

Looks like all the presidential aspirants are bound to promise us change. They want us to vote for them because they believe that with them at the helm from 2014 change is coming. But this change, if it’s a change for the better, if it means changing everything about the welfare of the youths, changing everything about where the youths are placed in the society, if its genuine change they are bringing not just the usual political pomposity, is worthy giving it a chance. 

But now who is really bringing that change to us? Who is going to carry the right message that will appeal to the youths to give him/her all the votes he/she needs? Let the month of May in 2014 be the judge. I need change, you need change, we are the kingmakers and let us choose our own destiny not because we are being given sachets or we are made cheer leaders but because we believe that we are very important and that these politicians need to treat us as so.