Nice urges ‘active citizenship’
National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice) Trust has encouraged Malawians to engage in “active citizenship’ if they are to realise what they yearned for in the May 20 2014 Tripartite Elections.
Nice Trust national programmes manager Grey Kalindekafe said this in Mulanje on Saturday when he officially opened the second training and planning workshop for the Southern Region district civic education officers (DCEOs).
He observed that the biggest challenge facing the country is failure by the electorate to follow up on promises, let alone demand transparency and accountability from elected leaders.
Kalindekafe said this creates an impression among elected leaders that “they are on holiday” until the next election.
He emphasised: “The most pressing thing among Malawians now is to see their elected representatives facilitating delivery of democracy and development, which they were yearning for prior to the polls. But without the meaningful participation of citizens in the democratic process, there can’t be sustainable development at all levels of governance.”
Kalindekafe said in view of this, Nice Trust is geared to enhance the ability of Malawians to participate in public life, including democratic decision-making processes and to empower them to exercise their rights and responsibilities at all levels. n
