President Peter Mutharika has urged young people in the country to reject violence and has warned politicians against paying youth to carry out violent acts.
Mutharika made the remarks during the launch of the K13 billion Youth and Women Loan Program which is being managed by Malawi Enterprise for Development Fund (MEDEF).
The Malawi leader said there are politicians and civil society groups who have been paying the youth to loot shops and kill other people’s businesses.
He accused the politicians whom he did not name of exploiting the poverty of young people and women by inciting them to violence.
He then advised all political leaders in the country to join hands in empowering youth and women to improve their lives.
“I want the youth of this country to be a decent people who are responsible and self-dependent. Let us empower the youth to create their own wealth, create their own jobs and be self-dependent. That is how we can a self-dependent Malawi,” he said.
He also appealed to all youths in the country to refuse to be exploited by politicians and to refuse to become lawless and violent citizens who destroy their country.
Mutharika said his government ‘s agenda is to move the country forward and he wants youth and women to be part of Malawi’s economic progress.
He said: “While others recruit young people to destroy and steal from shops, torch offices and houses, beat up and kill police officers and loot farms, let us make the youth builders of the economy. Instead of creating criminals and destroyers of the economy, I want to empower the youth and women to create wealth for themselves, fight criminality and be drivers of the economy,”
