The May 20 2014 Tripartite Elections can be violence-free if parties maintain unity and tolerance, a National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice) official said in Blantyre on Saturday.
Nice civic education officer in the city Bowlander Monjeza said during a media tour of various wards in Blantyreon Saturday that following training with various political, religious and traditional leaders, politics of antagonism is dying.
“We have been training leaders who can pass on the message to their subjects as message multipliers. The message they are carrying is that the elections should be violence-free while at the same time defining for the people the roles of councillors and members of Parliament since some potential voters do not really know why we should have councillors,” said Monjeza.
Random interviews in Ndirande, Mbayani, Kachere and Chigumula during the tour revealed that the trained leaders vouched for non-violence.
“All parties here are now coexisting. We are now more organised and tolerant, accommodating dissenting political views. Political violence has adverse effects,” said Laudon Nahuwo, MCP Blantyre-Kabula Constituency chairperson.
Village Head Andrew of Kachere said as a traditional leader, he has come up with by-laws to curb political violence in his area.
“When one party holds a rally at a ground, three days have to elapse before another party holds theirs at the same venue. This is to cool down tempers which may have flared at the earlier meeting,” he said.
