Source: 2018 hinges on youth vote: MDC – DailyNews Live
Blessings Mashaya 22 May 2017
HARARE – The MDC has embarked on aggressive campaign to woo Zimbabwe’s
seemingly disinterested youths to register and vote in next year’s
national elections which opposition parties plan to contest as a
coalition.
This comes as the country is gearing for the watershed polls with the
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) conducting campaigns to educate
ordinary Zimbabweans about the biometric voter registration exercise (BVR)
which is due to be launched this year.
Speaking in Norton at the weekend, MDC youth leader Happymore Chidziva
said it is important for the youths to register and vote as 2018 was
likely to be decided by their vote.
“We are in this situation because of Mugabe’s misrule, to youths I want to
say this is high time we sort all this mess and define our future. This
can only be done by registering to vote in the next year elections.
“Your vote as youth is important in this journey of liberating Zimbabweans
from this yoke of bondage.
“Our future is in our hands, it is up to us to decide whether we want to
continue as educated jobless people or not. 2018 is the right time to deal
with Mugabe’s regime,” Chidziva told the Daily News on the sidelines of
their Berekea Mwana Tiende campaign.
“It should not be forgotten that for the past 37 years, Mugabe has been
the sole leader of the country, and has presided over all the incompetence
in government. Then, what will he promise the youths ahead of 23018, which
he couldn’t deliver since independence?
“Mugabe’s last election promise to the youth hasn’t been met. Mugabe
promised over 2,2 million new jobs to the youth in 2013, but has dismally
failed,” added Chidziva.
A fortnight ago, Tsvangirai himself also delivered a warning to youths and
first time voters to register and vote in next year’s elections.
“In our last election, only five percent of those between the age of 18
and 35 voted.
“I am now challenging all these young people because you are allowing us
the old people to continue defining your future.
“Are you aware that you are outsourcing your future to the old, even to
grandfathers like Mugabe. You are outsourcing your future to that old man.
What does that mean?
“Let’s all go and register to vote. On voting day, we are not supposed to
go home without casting our votes.
“And simply going to vote is also not good enough. We must also defend our
vote. We must not leave this duty to only a few people,” Tsvangirai said
then.
“I am making a final appeal to you. You are the game changers, as 60
percent of those below the age of 40 are the majority of the country’s
population … unfortunately, you are leaving everything in Tsvangirai’s
hands.
“When Zanu PF rigs elections, many of you simply look up to me. Some of
you don’t have national identity cards, others do not even make an effort
to get these ID cards.
“Yet others don’t even come around on the days to register for elections.
So … you are in effect saying the old generation must define your
future,” he added.
The former prime minister in the stability-inducing Government of National
Unity made his forceful call at a time that he is on the cusp of
finalising coalition agreements with other opposition leaders ahead of
next year’s eagerly-anticipated polls.
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