Q & A

Youth political representation

As Malawi prepares for the September 16 General Election, concerns are rising about low youth representation, neglected political violence and the role of security agencies in ensuring peaceful campaigns and credible elections. Our News Analyst CLEMENT CHINOKO takes the big questions to Baba Steve Malondera, the chairperson of the Youth Caucus in Parliament and director of youth in the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), the key  partner in the governing Tonse Alliance Excerpts

Malondera: I believe in one Malawi. | Nation

Q:  The youth constitute the majority of Malawi’s population. Are you satisfied with the number of youthful parliamentarians in the current cohort?

A: I’m not. According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union Parline, a global organisation for national Parliaments, after the 2019 elections, only five lawmakers or 2.7 percent of our 193-member National Assembly were aged 30 or below. Additionally, there were 48 members of Parliament aged between 31 and 40, representing 28.8 percent. These figures are far from impressive when it comes to youth representation. What it means is that total youth percentage is around 30 percent. So, the youth are underrepresented.

Q: What changes or developments would you like to see as we approach the September elections?

A:  I want to see more capable and qualified youthful Malawians joining active politics. I want them to have access to enough campaign materials and serious financial support because politics has been monetised. If this is not done, the youth will not have a competitive edge and politics will continue being dominated by older people. Malawi has a largely youthful population, with over 80 percent aged below 35 years, according to the 2018 census. What we need, therefore, is for the youth to have greater representation and an amplified voice in decision-making. 

Q: Do you think political parties are doing enough to increase youth representation in politics?

A: I am not impressed. The leadership across [all political parties] must do better and the youth groups themselves must also demand more push for inclusive policies. We need by-elections which are free and fair, encouraging the youth to participate with high expectations that the elections will not be manipulated against them. Once they succeed, they need financial and material backing.

Q: What is your take on the surge in political violence, especially the panga-wielding thugs seen threatening peaceful demonstrators and disrupting mass protests in Lilongwe?

A. I’m extremely disturbed when I see such acts. In 1994, Malawi elected a multiparty democracy where all political parties are supposed to advance their cause without being harassed. Such acts of violence are retrogressive and do not reflect the tenets of contemporary democracy. My appeal to the youth is to refuse to be used. They deserve better in a democratic country than being used as elements of violence.

Q: Do you believe that security agencies have been proactive enough to address political violence and hold perpetrators and their backers to account?

A: They have been aggressive as some of the perpetrators have been arrested. I think we have gaps in our courts. The courts need to expedite their processes so that we can secure convictions. This will send a strong message to would-be offenders.

Q: In your view, what drives the youth to perpetrate violence during political campaigns?

A: Without mincing words, it is important to highlight that a small group of individuals is responsible for political violence. Such groups can be found within UTM, MCP, Democratic Progressive Party and other parties. The police must take a firmer stance, and identify and arrest these individuals to ensure that peace consistently prevails. Generally, on the use of the youth for violence, I think they are perceived as an energetic group; hence, the need to use their energy for such [illegal business]. This is extremely retrogressive.

Q: As a leader of the MCP youth wing, have you ever been involved in mobilising the youth for such misconduct?

A: This far, I have never dispatched the youth for such an activity.

Q: You have been part of the Centre for Multiparty Democracy’s efforts to promote tolerance. What message are you sending to the citizenry as we count down to the general election?

A: I believe in one Malawi. My simple message is to rise above petty party politics and put Malawi first. At any given opportunity, let us promote unity in political diversity. Let us promote unity whenever we are given a microphone, be it at a religious or political gathering. Malawi is bigger than any religion, region, political party, or ethnic group. The youth also need to be aware that before belonging to political parties, they are Malawians.

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