Registration of Citizen Identification Cards and the youth
By Kelvin Muliyasanga
When Citizen Identification Cards were introduced in Malawi a few years ago, many youths were enthusiastic to register to have this precious and all-important document. The Citizen Identification Card is a multi-purpose document that can be used everywhere including banks, when accessing government services and when transacting business.
Added to that, the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) demands that everyone registering to participate in an election should possess the Citizen Identification Card. So, those wishing to vote in the 2025 General Elections should possess the Citizen Identification Card to register when MEC rolls out the exercise. Sadly, there are still millions of youths who do not have these cards. Yet the youth are said to be the biggest constituency in the land.
Every political party looks up to this constituency to amass votes. The question is, why are the majority of youths not willing to register to get Citizen Identification cards? Not long ago, opposition political parties such as Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and United Democratic Front (UDF), raised concerns that the National Registration Bureau (NRB) concentrated its work to register more people in the Central Region than anywhere else.
Opposition parties suspect something sinister is happening. The Central Region is the stronghold of the ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and more people registering there is good news for the party in power. But should the opposition be worried because more people have registered in the Central Region? Perhaps the opposition should be blaming itself for its failure to encourage more people to register in its strongholds.
If they [opposition] discovered that NRB was playing double standards, why did it not raise the concern at that material time? Is there evidence that NRB compromised its work ethics and that it favoured people from a particular region? Malawians will be happy to see this issue handled professionally and peacefully.
Why is it that people from other regions did not register in large numbers? Did they get any civic education? Did NRB announce well in advance that it would be conducting registration exercises in the South and the North, just the way it did with the Centre? Mere accusations will not help anyone; Let the concerned parties come to a round table discussion and chart the way forward. It would be interesting hear both sides of this interesting story.
Be proactive
Youths should not wait for politicians to remind them about the importance of Citizen Identification Cards. Youths must be proactive and register to be in possession of Citizen Identification Cards. The General Elections of 2019 revealed something worth discussing. In that year most youths discussed their issues and concerns on social media. For one particular party, there was hope that its presidential hopeful would carry the day, bearing in mind the many youths who followed the party on Facebook and other social media forums.
Unfortunately, it transpired that most of those who made ‘noise’ on social media did not even register or if they did, they did not vote. It was a big let-down to the party’s presidential candidate. On the other side, for the party that won, it was women voters who came out in large numbers to vote. They heed the message to acquire Citizen Identification Cards in the first place and proceed to register with MEC to vote for their party presidential candidate.
NRB workers processing Identification Cards
It is as simple as it sounds: make effort to have the Citizen Identification Card, look at the MEC calendar of events and when time for registration in your area comes, go and register. The good thing with next year’s General Elections is that even if your Citizen Identification Card has expired, you will be allowed to register and vote.
For years now, youths have complained about bad political leadership. Yet, they do not want to take part in the electoral process through which they can replace that bad leadership with leaders of their choice. All you hear is youths complaining about jobs; that the one million jobs they were promised was a lie. And that they don’t have access to loans to get start-up capital for businesses because politicians have deliberately forgotten them.
Here is a tip. Register and wait for polling day to cast your vote. It is the only way the dream about your business enterprise can be a reality. For those graduating, take part in everything that smells politics. Be the change you want. Listen carefully to what politicians say. Don’t get carried away by ‘false prophets’ and their campaign promises, which are almost impossible to keep. The five years of this administration leaves a lot to be desired; these five years are a lesson to the youth to choose wisely in next year’s General Elections. Those who have Citizen Identification Cards have a chance to turn things around, especially if they register to vote.
Don’t just participate in debates that will take you nowhere. The best debate is where youths are encouraging each other to go and register to have Citizen Identification Cards. Secondly, such debates must talk about the need to register with MEC and take part in the process of removing bad leadership. The youth must vote in their large numbers to bring change. Wasting time on social media instead of rushing to register, will only prolong the misery the youth have suffered in the last five years. You have the power through your vote to rid Malawi of corruption, bad leadership and poverty.
Make good use of this opportunity while it lasts. Register, register and register. It is the only way you can help to rebuild a new Malawi – Malawi wokomera tonse. Your vote can put Malawi on a path to job creation, wealth creation and bring about transformative leadership. That Citizen Identification Card is a powerful weapon that can transform Malawi.