Youths to petition Parliament on sachets

Several youth organisations will this week petition Parliament, calling for a complete ban of liquor sachets.

Addressing the press in Blantyre on Friday, Young Achievers for Development (YAD) president Jefferson Milanzie said their research shows sachets are posing a threat to the youth.

“We cannot just sit and watch our youths die. In Mulanje, we found pupils putting liquor into porridge they get in the school-feeding programme. We are raising the red card against sachets,” Milanzie said.

According to him, enlarging the sachets was not the solution as children contribute money to buy the alcohol.

“It is worrisome that the people who own companies producing this liquor cannot take a sip. We want our parliamentarians to understand that a very drunk nation cannot develop. Some say the manufacturers remit tax, but we say the economy can run without these sachets,” he added.

After the briefing, the youth from YAD, Blantyre Young Voices and Youth Arm Organisation lit a fire on which they poured the liquor. Instead of dowsing the fire, the alcohol fuelled it.

“This is our Ebola. If fire is being fuelled, one can only imagine what happens with the soft tissues in our bodies,” said Milanzie.