NICE Trust Urges Politicians to Focus on Issue-Based Campaigns, Condemns Political Violence
The National Initiative for Civic Education (NICE) Trust has called on politicians to refrain from engaging in violent politics and instead focus on issue-based campaigns ahead of the upcoming elections.
NICE Trust’s Programs Officer for Chikwawa District, Chiyembekezo Gwazayani, made the remarks on Monday during a meeting with religious leaders under the Chikwawa Pastors Fraternal. The meeting aimed to lobby faith leaders to encourage their congregants to participate in the upcoming voter transfer exercise, scheduled for March 13–15.
Addressing the religious leaders, Gwazayani emphasized that Malawi embraced democracy in 1993 through a referendum. He lamented that, over 50 years later, the country is still experiencing acts of political violence reminiscent of a one-party state. He condemned the growing trend of politicians sponsoring youths to engage in violence, describing it as a setback to democratic progress.
“In any democratic society, people have the right to support a political party of their choice without interference. Beating or insulting someone because of their political affiliation is a violation of human rights, and those involved should be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law,” Gwazayani stated.
His remarks come at a time when incidents of political violence are on the rise. The latest case occurred in Machinga, where a Malawi Congress Party (MCP) vehicle was stoned and damaged by suspected supporters of another political party. Although the police have made some arrests, investigations are still ongoing.
Chikwawa Pastors Fraternal Chairperson, Bishop Geoffrey Tembo, commended NICE Trust for engaging religious leaders in electoral awareness. He stressed the importance of ensuring that voters have access to accurate election information so they can make informed choices when voting for ward councillors, Members of Parliament, and the President on September 16.
Bishop Tembo echoed Gwazayani’s sentiments, asserting that violence has no place in a democratic society. He urged politicians to stop funding youths to incite violence, emphasizing that Malawians should remain united despite political differences.
Chikwawa District is part of the third phase of the voter transfer exercise, with over 260,000 people having registered in the third phase of voter registration conducted in November and December 2024.