POLITICAL CLIMATE DROWNING OUT YOUTH’S VOICES - KALABA
THE current political atmosphere is suppressing the voice of the youth Democratic Party president, Harry Kalaba has claimed.
Mr. Kalaba claims that youths have not been given a platform on which to air their views and once they try, are made to apologise merely for trying to exercise their freedom of expression.
Speaking in Kabwe yesterday during a live phone-in programme “One on One” on KNC Radio, Mr. Kalaba alleged that youths are not regarded and are not part of the employment agenda of the country.
“The youth don’t have space and when they try to talk, see the venom, see the hatred which is coming from the leaders, look at how youths are made to apologise, we have seen a number of times where youths are made to apologise,” said Mr Kalaba.
He said youth empowerment was a tall order adding that youth activism was only seen during the election period.
He also claimed that most jobs which youths are able to do are given to foreigners and as a result, they resort to joining politics as a channel through which they could be employed.
Mr. Kalaba said the DP would ensure to come up with policies that would prioritise the empowerment of the local people once voted into office.
“Most jobs are given to foreigners, no empowerment for the youth so once they graduate they join politics for employment affiliations. As DP, we will ensure when voted in office to first empower the locals, get Zambian jobs back into the hands of ordinary Zambians,” said Mr. Kalaba.