By: Lloyd M’bwana

 

Malawi’s population is youthful which contributes to 70% according to the current estimates which means that young people involvement in meaningful economic activities including agriculture through greenbelt initiative, entrepreneurship are recipe for the country’s economic growth.

 

 

But the case is currently in Malawi different where such grouping of people remains docile while all in the entire nation has National Youth Policy which might have ignited economic activities where young people could be engaged meaningfully.

 

With the current social-economic woes, the burden for youth people has worsened, no wonder this week youths in the northern city of Mzuzu on Monday, February 22 through mass demonstration petitioned President Peter Mutharika to fix the country’s economic woes within 21 days or he must resign from presidency to pave of for capable individuals to run the shows of the state.

 

Pressure is daily mounting on President Peter Mutharika to fix the social-economic ills currently Malawians encountering which include maize crisis, insufficient of medical and drugs in public hospitals, high inflation and falling of the Malawi Kwacha which has resulted into skyrocketing prices of goods and services.

 

Therefore, The Maravi Post (MP)’s reporter, Lloyd M’bwana, in the capital Lilongwe discuses with Clement Makuwa, President of Young Politician Union Of Malawi (YPU) on pertinent issues affecting young people amid the current economic turmoil; Why are we in this mess, what role could youths play and government responsibility in embracing young people on economic activities. Excerpts

 

MP: Mr. Makuwa, can you share with us and our readers’ brief background of Young Politician Union of Malawi (YPU)?

 

Makuwa: YPU is a grouping of young people drawn from all political parties in Malawi formed in 2002 and registered in 2004 under Malawi Youth Council and a member of Malawi Electoral Support Network (Mesn) aimed ensuring that youths are instilled with different ideologies for economic activities. Basically, we are across the nation implementing governance programs that young people are participating in public life meaningfully. In this course, we empower youths with leadership skill which deter them being used as proprietors of violence by politicians.

 

MP: What is it you can point out that this is a hand work of YPU?

 

Makuwa: Wow, we have done a lot. For instance, we are now across the nation rolling out with formulation of Regional Youth Peace forums aimed at detecting acts of violence in a bid to deal with them in an infant level.

 

MP: Has your existence to Malawi’s politics a worthy emulating gesture?

 

Maluwa: Exactly! We have managed to reach young people in all corners of the country compelling them to participate fully in national issues whereby other local and international organizations have realized that they can’t work without young people through YPU. In fact, we were very influential during the 2014 tripartite elections whereby we managed to groom young people by attaining Ward Councillorship positions as result six individuals imaged victorious on those local assembly elections across the nation.

 

MP: So, Mr. Makuwa, what’s your general assessment on the current social-economic challenges the country is going through on part of the young people, you dearly represent politically?

 

 

Makuwa: Honestly, the nation is at crossroads. We need a perfect direction to move the nation forward especially on young people who are in majority but their presence remain nothing as most of them are just idling, jobless.

 

MP: Where have we gone wrong on young people perspective towards this economic mess?

 

Makuwa: The failure of youths to align themselves with government on issues of national importance including full participation on economic activities. While on the other hand, government as well has failed its role by providing conducive environment for young people to participate fully decision making. Frankly, speaking the nation hasn’t yet invested much on youths despite that we are many which authorities could have capitalized on, but the case is different.

 

MP: Which area of focus could government utilize much on young people existence?

 

Makuwa: Good question. It must be agriculture through greenbelt initiative. Whether one wants or not agriculture remains the country’s sole economic growth backbone, minus that we are doomed. We have fresh water across the nation but food shortage remains a challenge, year in, year out.

 

Government should have utilized the majority of youths with much investment on green belt order for the country to have enough food for consumption and commercial purposes. But, what we see is doing the opposite. Entrepreneurship and vocation trainings through the much advocated community colleges it’s in the right direction but not all youths can be incorporated in such a program. Not only that even the markets for those products remain critical while agricultural produces their markets are already there as it produces food which is needed daily.

 

MP: What do you foresee over exclusion of young people on economic activities?

 

Makuwa: The impact is seen now not only in future. Just visit some districts and communities across the nation, you are to witness many young people jobless, idle consequently indulge themselves in immoral behaviors including drag and substance abuse, prostitute and robbery and theft whose results its jail sentence, maternal deaths, mental illness among others.

 

MP: Mr. Makuwa, why do you think authority isn’t utilizing the presence of young people in meaningful economic activities?

 

 

Makuwa: It’s a deliberate move to make them vulnerable that when it comes to elections time they capitalize their challenges by formulating manifestos and promises that once voted into power, their challenges might be addressed. Their aim is to get votes to satisfy their political interests leaving the rest of us, young people vulnerable forever. This was noted during the 2014 tripartite elections. The type of leadership, the nation is under tends to make more young people poorer than before while pursuing their personal interests, the tendency which is bad. The situation we are currently in needs consultative effort from all sectors.

 

MP: With due respect, YPU is docile in Malawi. In other countries, the grouping of this nature is forefront with revolutions over social-economic ills governments inflict on them. Don’t you just exist on paper?

 

 

Makuwa: Not docile. Basically, YPU believes in dialogue as efforts have been made engaging the current leadership in various forums on issues affecting the nation especially young people though much isn’t taken on board. So, what has remained is to get young people well organized and make more vocals for this leadership to start taking action in address the economic ills.

 

MP: Are young people in Malawi walking on one path towards fighting their rights?

 

Makuwa: Wow, very tempting question. Honestly, few young people participate fully in governance issues due to illiterate and poverty levels. Due to this, we can’t expect a vibrant youths who can take their leaders to task. Many politicians know this weakness that’s why they don’t address the challenges as to make them vulnerable in order to exile in their lives through young people’s side backs.

 

MP: What’s your message to young people towards taking to task authority in these hard times we are living in?

 

Makuwa: The message is simple! Let’s get organized, participate in economic governance while taking the leadership to task in addressing the economic turmoil which has created a burden for us. We need government that embraces young people in meaningful economic activities which might move this nation forward.

 

MP: Lastly, which words are you leaving us together our readers locally and across the boarders?

 

Makuwa: Young people remain critical to the country’s social economic growth including the media. So, what has remained is to equip our press men and women on youths programs analysis so that they can be able to capture them in their newspapers, radios and Televisions. Young people are doing a lot only those aren’t given platform to share their adventures on national issues hence the need to build capacity for Malawi’s media.

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