POLITICIANS ACCUSED OF USING YOUTH DURING DEMOS

By Billy Kamutu 

Some youth activists in the country have called out politicians for using the youth to fulfill their political agendas by causing violence and vandalism during demonstrations only to abandon them when apprehended by the police.

One of the activists, Lucky Mbewe, has said this following the arrest of 55 protesters in Zomba and Balaka and 11 students from several primary schools in Dowa during Thursday’s demonstrations against Presidential Immunity.

Some young people in Ntcheu also filmed themselves wreaking havoc.

This comes on the back of 76 other arrests last week during anti-government demonstrations in Lilongwe.

The majority of people that take part in the demonstrations, and are later on arrested, are the youth.

According to Mbewe, unemployment and frustration among the youth are some of the factors making the youth vulnerable to abuse by politicians who pay them meager allowances.

Mbewe added that the politicians do not engage lawyers to assist the protesters once they are in police custody.

Mbewe has therefore urged the youth to avoid being used by politicians to cause violence, but rather be hopeful that their lives will get better in the future.