What next after the K24m debacle?
The student activists of the early 80s and 90s who risked their lives and freedoms for the children born post multiparty to enjoy theirs must be truly embarrassed at the lack of pride of those who went to dine with President Peter Mutharika under the guise of an affiliation to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
The shameless parade of the students clad in party colours as the people who sponsor the majority of their education in the public universities watched on was pathetic.
Sure, the so-called DPP wing have every right to associate with whichever party they would like to but to fail to question the principle behind the organisation of a party for them at a time when so much is going wrong in the country is incomprehensible.
How does the DPP justify spending K24 million and the use of resources belonging to cash-strapped government institutions?
Even as clueless as APM’s advisers have turned out to be, they cannot justify spending K24 million—no matter the source—to fete students who when it comes down to elections really hold zero clout.
Have the organisers of this luncheon considered what will happen between now and May, 2019? Will the DPP sustain the K20 000 handouts and buying alcohol for students?
This is not the student activism that Malawians have known for decades and looked up to. The student activists who fought for multiparty democracy did not risk their lives for such empty support of a political party that has done nothing but put the interests of the youth at the backbench.
In what world does holding a party using State resources become alright because the State President is the one inviting them?
In any other civilised nation, the individuals who conceived this foolish idea would be walking with heads bowed down in shame; public officers would be out of jobs.
But this is Malawi. Once the fury and furore has died down, all this will be forgotten.
Just recently, a branch of the DPP poorly named the Blue League wrote a disjointed statement affirming that the party does not respect freedom of expression or association and effectively silencing any dissenting voice within.
This is the future that DPP is festering and the future does not look bright.
This is how the youth in this country are being abused and it will only get worse as the countdown to 2019 heats up.
But soon these students will enter the job market and the 17 000 jobs promised to them will not exist.
The students will join the long list of jobless Malawians failing to get a job or being retrenched by the day.
Then they will remember the free bus ride and K20 000 ‘token’ and rue the day they wore the blue t-shirt. Unfortunately for them and the youth of Malawi who look up to the academia, it will be too late.
