Youths should not be sacrificial lambs

By David Chidende

“…the young people are the ones who most quickly identify with the struggle and the necessity to eliminate the evil conditions that exist,” Malcolm X

Inspirational!! These words are a challenge to Zimbabwe’s young people ahead of watershed election this year.

The referendum may have come and gone, an affront to youths who blindly succumbed to calls by political party leaders to vote yes for a constitution they have never had input nor output, let alone read.

Such has become the trend in Zimbabwean politics as politicians always want to control the mindset and will power of young people relegating them into the political wilderness where their participation is largely felt as glue sniffers, perpetrators and victims of political violence.

The low youth voter turnout on the just ended referendum points to the fact that young people are no longer interested in participating in national processes and this further compromises their status in society.

Lack of adequate voter education by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, limited copies of the draft constitution and the poor awareness campaign by the COPAC which translates to the short time accorded to the people to read the draft constitution were the major causes of the low turnout.

But all the same one cannot completely rule out the fact that young people in Zimbabwe have what Paulo Freire in his book, The Pedagogy of the Oppressed call ‘fear of freedom’.

As a strong fan of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Junior, the forces behind black emancipation in America, I have come to realise that freedom, justice, equality and anything that defines democracy is not given, but taken.

And for our fate as the youths, we need to challenge the system governing us and hold it accountable as the country heads for polls.

It is my strongest conviction that the united efforts of the young people in this coming election would unlock a notable epoch of democracy so long as they properly handle the process.

This can be achieved through voting, which I strongly believe is both a right and an obligation of every Zimbabwean citizen, and as leaders of tomorrow, young people have three critical roles to play in an election. Firstly, it is every young person’s mandate to register to vote and help others to get registered.

Secondly, it is very important that as young people we rationally give our voices to the political bodies or individuals of our choices.

But before giving in our voices, we need to critically analyse why a certain political party or individual is worth supporting and should be very careful of the fact that a single negligence could lead to a dire socio-political consequence in the country.

This, we do by carefully evaluating and analyzing the available programs and policy options of every political party or individual candidate, and more importantly we should never evaluate the available programs and policy options from a single dimension.

We should rather investigate it from all the possible perspectives, i.e. from its holistic nature.

History uncovers the nature of some political entities which apparently seem Apostles of change at the time of political rally and become extreme Devils at the end of the day. Thus, youth should critically analyze the available programs and policy options and past experiences of these political bodies as well.

In this regard, it is our duty as young people to properly use our intellectual capacities and rational minds to precisely evaluate the would-be results of our decisions. We need to look forward deep into the future and make sure that every step of our decision contribute to the realisation of a democratic Zimbabwe.

Lastly, young people must strive to safeguard the constitution and the constitutionally established organs of the state.

This is done by shunning any form or content of violence in relation to elections in order to promote the democratic process that the nation strongly strives to make it a real culture of Zimbabweans.

Young people need to promote the democratic endeavours of the entire election by ensuring citizens’ equal access and opportunity to vote in a secured and peaceful political environment and in doing so, they need to fight against politicians who incite intolerance, chaos and public unrest pre, during and post election periods.

In doing so, we need to take note of Martin Luther King Jr’s words that;

“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can’t ride you unless your back is bent.”