PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe last week gazetted dates for voter registration, heralding the beginning of the election season.
NewsDay Comment
A look back at the past five years shows that little has been achieved by the Zanu PF-led government, instead the country has gone backwards in terms of economic development.
It is time for everyone to take stock of how little the country has achieved since 2013 and question whether we want the status quo to continue for another five years.
The next few months should serve as a period of reflection and questioning what went wrong and how it can be fixed. Zanu PF has been a monumental failure in terms of running the government and it is in the electorate’s hands whether they should continue in power.
This should not be about personalities, but rather issues, as we seek the best candidate to take the country forward.
The onus is on young voters and first time voters to question whether this is the future they want and if not, then the future is in their hands by how they will vote.
With the election season dawning, young voters do not need any encouragement to register to vote, as failure to cast their ballots would be tantamount to gambling on their future.
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President Mugabe has held several youth interface rallies, as there is a realisation that this demographic has the power to shape the country’s future and, thus, young people need to know how much power they yield.
However, what has been missing from Mugabe’s rallies is a plan for the future and the economy and that is where young and first-time voters need to come in.
Will they be satisfied with regular doses of nostalgia or they want a future that promises them economic prosperity – that is the question they should be asking themselves.
Past studies have shown that young people are the most reluctant to cast their votes, but this time they cannot afford such apathy because the stakes are considerably higher and they need to find their collective voice.
There is need for young prospective voters, who make the country’s majority, to know that the future is literally in their hands and they can shape the country’s destiny.
Thus, with this power, the youth should be encouraged to go out and register, so they vote in next year’s election, as the future is literally in their hands.
