Next month the Peter Mutharika administration clocks one year. During
this period the media will be awash with different players in the
political, social and economic subdivisions battling it out over the
best vocabulary to describe the one year under APM.
As for me my interest will be to analyse what the country has achieved in terms of youth development. Are we making progress?
Let me take you back to the May polls last year. It is a clear fact that the winning formula in 2014 was the youths. Almost all the contesting candidates had put much emphasis on youth development. The youths were so excited with the change they were being promised. No wonder they participated fully in the King making process.
In MCP, UDF, DPP and PP the youths were almost everywhere leading the campaign. But unfortunately the reality is, most youths were just being used.
For years we have seen that most politicians think the role for the youths is simply to paint them orange, blue or yellow, bundle them in trucks, buy them sachets and make them become lead praise singers at political rallies that’s all.
Politicians take pride in using the youths to advance their political agendas. Unfortunately most youths love being used. They are short sighted. They don’t look at the future because the handouts from politicians keep blinding them.
In 2015 we can’t be talking about youth empowerment when all we keep seeing are pictures of politicians taking pride in youths that are painted all over with colours of their different political parties. Who ever invented this must be cursed where ever he is. He must be accredited for bringing evil in the country’s political system.
The more reason why these “unemployed sachet guzzling youths” paint themselves is the small monies they receive at the end of the day. We are talking the K20s, the K50s, Geez! That’s an insult to the youths.
Politicians can’t wake up and start claiming to be rebranding the youths when all they keep doing is painting them, buy them sachets and keep them as praise singers.
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 advantage of that and brands it as one of the core programs in the advancement of the youth development agenda.
The high level of unemployment amongst the youths is nothing but an embarrassment to the politicians whether in government or in opposition. All I have been hearing from these politicians is some political rhetoric and empty promises about youth empowerment when the reality on the ground tells us otherwise.
According to the politicians who most of the times keep giving us the middle finger altitude once in power “the youths, belong to the praise singer’s bench that’s all”.
The DPP on the road to power in 2014 promised 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. I must say this is what we need in this country at the moment.
Yes, the community colleges are here to help the youths in attaining vocational skills that will go a long way in uplifting their lives as they will become self reliant, but there is more that need to be done.
The whole system needs a complete overhaul to make youths become partners in development. Youths must now work with politicians not for politicians. We need change not just change but change for the better. This will mean changing everything about the welfare of the youths, changing everything about where the youths are placed in the society.
The ongoing Public Sector Reform Program must also get rid of some old timers who spend our taxes doing nothing at Capital hill but cash-gating and playing bawo. They can’t even operate a computer because they are still living in the analogue era. No wonder the underperformance of the Civil Service in most sectors.
These must go! Replace them with some young brains that are just loafing in the streets but have attractive papers combined with skill and modern knowledge. Appoint these young men and women into more senior positions in government and institutions of public importance.
We can’t claim to be making progress when we keep hearing the very same names changing positions up there in the name of Public Service Reforms. Those that have failed us let them pack up and go and employ some young and energetic force to stir the public service to glory.
I need change, you need change, and we are the kingmakers and let us choose our own destiny by making our demands known. Our noise must be organised noise 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 such.
As for me my interest will be to analyse what the country has achieved in terms of youth development. Are we making progress?
Let me take you back to the May polls last year. It is a clear fact that the winning formula in 2014 was the youths. Almost all the contesting candidates had put much emphasis on youth development. The youths were so excited with the change they were being promised. No wonder they participated fully in the King making process.
In MCP, UDF, DPP and PP the youths were almost everywhere leading the campaign. But unfortunately the reality is, most youths were just being used.
For years we have seen that most politicians think the role for the youths is simply to paint them orange, blue or yellow, bundle them in trucks, buy them sachets and make them become lead praise singers at political rallies that’s all.
Politicians take pride in using the youths to advance their political agendas. Unfortunately most youths love being used. They are short sighted. They don’t look at the future because the handouts from politicians keep blinding them.
In 2015 we can’t be talking about youth empowerment when all we keep seeing are pictures of politicians taking pride in youths that are painted all over with colours of their different political parties. Who ever invented this must be cursed where ever he is. He must be accredited for bringing evil in the country’s political system.
The more reason why these “unemployed sachet guzzling youths” paint themselves is the small monies they receive at the end of the day. We are talking the K20s, the K50s, Geez! That’s an insult to the youths.
Politicians can’t wake up and start claiming to be rebranding the youths when all they keep doing is painting them, buy them sachets and keep them as praise singers.
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 advantage of that and brands it as one of the core programs in the advancement of the youth development agenda.
The high level of unemployment amongst the youths is nothing but an embarrassment to the politicians whether in government or in opposition. All I have been hearing from these politicians is some political rhetoric and empty promises about youth empowerment when the reality on the ground tells us otherwise.
According to the politicians who most of the times keep giving us the middle finger altitude once in power “the youths, belong to the praise singer’s bench that’s all”.
The DPP on the road to power in 2014 promised 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. I must say this is what we need in this country at the moment.
Yes, the community colleges are here to help the youths in attaining vocational skills that will go a long way in uplifting their lives as they will become self reliant, but there is more that need to be done.
The whole system needs a complete overhaul to make youths become partners in development. Youths must now work with politicians not for politicians. We need change not just change but change for the better. This will mean changing everything about the welfare of the youths, changing everything about where the youths are placed in the society.
The ongoing Public Sector Reform Program must also get rid of some old timers who spend our taxes doing nothing at Capital hill but cash-gating and playing bawo. They can’t even operate a computer because they are still living in the analogue era. No wonder the underperformance of the Civil Service in most sectors.
These must go! Replace them with some young brains that are just loafing in the streets but have attractive papers combined with skill and modern knowledge. Appoint these young men and women into more senior positions in government and institutions of public importance.
We can’t claim to be making progress when we keep hearing the very same names changing positions up there in the name of Public Service Reforms. Those that have failed us let them pack up and go and employ some young and energetic force to stir the public service to glory.
I need change, you need change, and we are the kingmakers and let us choose our own destiny by making our demands known. Our noise must be organised noise 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 such.
