By Allan Ngumuya
INDIANABEND — (MaraviPost) — My fellow Malawians, I am writing this open letter to parents, church leaders, young men, young women and all citizens of our beloved country because I believe we have reached a point where we must seriously reflect on the future of Malawi and the kind of leadership we want to see guiding our nation.
I have listened to what Dr. Dalitso Kabambe has been saying about the challenges facing Malawi and the solutions he believes can help address them, and I believe his ideas deserve to be heard, examined and discussed by Malawians alongside the ideas and programmes of other leaders seeking to serve the country.
For me, the question of national leadership should not simply be about political parties, colours, hats, T-shirts, campaign gifts or money, but about policies, experience, leadership record, economic understanding, integrity, respect for the rule of law and the ability to respond to the challenges affecting ordinary Malawians.
I therefore appeal to parents, church leaders and community leaders to encourage our young people to think critically about politics and to understand that voting is an important civic responsibility that should follow careful consideration of the policies, programmes and records of the people seeking public office.
To our young people, I say you have an important role in determining the future of Malawi, and I encourage you to participate actively in voter registration, civic education and the democratic process while asking serious questions about employment, education, salaries, business opportunities, agriculture, healthcare and the economy.
I also appeal to our church leaders to continue promoting peace, love, justice, unity and responsible citizenship, while respecting the right of every Malawian to make an independent political decision according to his or her conscience.
To our parents, I ask you to allow your children to listen to different political leaders and examine different political programmes rather than simply instructing them to support a particular party because that is the party supported by the family.
As Malawians, we should also be prepared to examine our political history honestly and ask every leader what they have achieved, what did not work, what lessons they have learned and what they intend to do differently in the future.
We must ask serious questions about the management of public resources, unemployment, poverty, corruption, education, healthcare, agriculture, business development and the general state of our economy, because these are issues that directly affect families across Malawi.
I want to make it clear that my appeal is not for Malawians to stop listening to other political leaders. On the contrary, I want every Malawian to listen carefully to all those seeking to lead this country and then examine their ideas, experience, records and programmes before making an informed decision.
In particular, I encourage Malawians to listen to Dr. Dalitso Kabambe, examine his experience and understand the solutions he is proposing for Malawi’s economic and social challenges.
Our political parties, including DPP, MCP and all other parties, have a responsibility to explain clearly to Malawians what they stand for and how they intend to address the problems facing the country, while citizens have the right to ask questions and make their own decisions.
I am especially concerned about the role of young people in our politics because many young Malawians continue to face difficulties related to unemployment, education, low incomes and limited economic opportunities, and political leaders must explain how their programmes will address these challenges.
Young Malawians should not allow political differences to divide them. They should engage one another respectfully, challenge political ideas with facts and focus on the kind of Malawi they want to build for themselves and future generations.
To my fellow Malawians, I believe the time has come for us to look beyond political slogans and examine the substance behind political messages.
Let us ask every aspiring leader a simple question: What is your vision for Malawi, how will you implement it, how will you finance it and how will ordinary Malawians benefit from it?
I believe Dr. Dalitso Kabambe has presented ideas that Malawians should listen to and examine seriously, just as they should examine the ideas presented by every other person seeking national leadership.
Our future is in our hands as citizens. We have the responsibility to register as voters, understand our democratic rights, participate peacefully in elections and make decisions based on the information available to us.
I therefore call upon young people, parents, church leaders and all Malawians to participate actively in the national conversation about our country’s future.
Let us listen before we decide, question before we accept, examine records before we make judgments and put the interests of Malawi at the centre of our democratic choices.
Malawi belongs to all of us. Its future belongs to all of us. Let us therefore take our civic responsibility seriously and work together for a peaceful, democratic and prosperous Malawi.
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