MALAWI ELECTORAL COMMISSION
Speech delivered by
Commissioner His Grace Archbishop Emeritus Dr Bernard Malango
During commemoration of
International Day for Peace on
September 21, 2013
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| Commissioner Archbishop Emeritus Dr Bernard Malango delivering a speech |
SALUTATION
It
gives me pleasure to offer as few remarks as we commemorate the international
day for Peace which here is being celebrated under the theme “We are all one;
Youth for peaceful 2014 elections”.
Ladies
and gentlemen, the theme for these celebrations could not have been better than
this, not only because next year we are having elections, but also considering
the role elections play in maintaining peace and security in a country.
Elections
are not only just a democracy issue but there are also a security issue and you
and I know that where there is no adequate security peace is usually absent.
Examples
abound world over whereby countries have been thrown into turmoil just because
of one mismanaged election. The example of the previous elections in Kenya is
still fresh in the minds of many here.
As
Malawi Electoral Commission we are geared to hold a peaceful election whose
results will be acceptable by all stakeholders. If you analyze critically, in
most cases it is the action of losers that determined the prevalence of peace
in a country or not. In any election there is only one winner and this is a
fact but no one goes into an electoral contest expecting to lose. So how the
losers react their loss is very crucial to the sustenance of peace and
stability of a nation. It is one thing to lose in fair process and it is
another things to lose in unfair process. Considering this scenario, the
Commission is putting place many structures and initiatives to ensure that next
year’s elections are conducted in an environment and manner that promotes
peace.
The
Commission is strengthening the capacity of Multi-Party Liaison Committees to
settle disputes of political parties at district level. The Commission has also
trained political parties secretaries general and publicity secretaries in
conflict management. The aim is to equip them with skills that will enable them
manage conflict within their and also refrain from perpetuating conflict
outside their party.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Malawi
population is increasingly becoming youthful. Majority of the voters are under
the age of 35 and this means the electoral Commission cannot ignore them. Undoubtedly,
youth are the backbone of a nation. So in order for a nation to progress, it is
imperative that a proper system of youth empowerment is put in place.
As
a Commission we have noted that in the past the Youth have always been used in
perpetuating violence. In such scenarios, those who spark it have tended to
take a back stage. I wish to encourage you to refrain from being abused.
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| MEC CEO, Willie Kalonga and Commissioner Archbishop Emeritus Dr Malango at the meeting |
There are so many roles you can play
in elections. First I should encourage you to register. You need to register so
that you can vote. For the 2014 Tripartite Elections, the Commission decided
that there should be a fresh registration that is everyone has to register
whether they registered before or not. Eligible registrants are those that have
attained the age of 18 or will have attained the age of 18 by May 20, 2014
which is the polling day. In simple way everyone who was born before May
20,1996 is eligible to register. As a Commission we know most of the first time
registrants will be the youth who have attained the voting age or will attain
the voting age by the time we go to the polls. One fascinating thing about next
year’s election is that it will be the first elections whereby “multiparty born
youth” will participate in national elections. The Commission is putting up all
its efforts to woo these first time registrants to exercise their right and
duty. The youth are in majority and if they do not register it means a
significant section of the country will be missing its representation in
electoral processes.
The Malawi Electoral Commission accredited
a total of 72 NGOs, 17 faith-based organizations and 23 community based
organizations to conduct civic and voter education. Among these 12 are focusing
on women and 22 organizations have special focus on the youth. You can see that
we have a bigger number of organizations with special interests in the youth. We
would assume that a good percentage of staff working in these organizations are
also the youth. That means we have more youth working in the civil society
organisation that will be involved in civic and voter education. Wherever, the
success of the 2014 Tripartite Elections will be mentioned these youths will
also be mentioned. With more youths working in civic and voter education we
expect more participation of the youth because more messages will be going to
them.
For the 2014 Tripartite Elections we
will have one seat for presidency, 193 seats for Members of Parliament and 462
seats to be competed for by ward councilor aspirants. These offer an
opportunity for youth to participate as candidates. Women are coming up with a
50-50 campaign to encourage and support women ascend to leadership positions,
the youth can also come up with their own genre of campaign to encourage the
youth to participate as candidates. The coming in of the councillor positions
further broadens the base for the actualization of the saying “the youth are
the leaders of tomorrow”. There are now
so many elected positions which the youth can compete for.
The law provides that for one to
contest as a ward councillor and Member of Parliament, he or she should have
attained the age of 21 at the time of nomination while for Presidency, it is 35
years at the time of nomination. Majority of the youth qualify and we should
encourage them to participate as candidates.
Ladies and gentlemen, before I
resume my seat allow me to repeat that election need to be held in an
environment free of violence and intimidation. Violence creates an environment
of fear which may hinder others from participating in the elections and such
elections cannot be branded to be free, fair and credible. The youth need to be
proactive by now ensuring that the culture of violence is stopped and that all
perpetrators are reported to police.
The Commission on its part will do
everything according to law to ensure that there is peace throughout the
electoral period.
May
God bless you all
Bless
Malawi
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