Tokenism for civic participation condemned

 Thandeka Matebesi

Young people have castigated tokenism aimed as motivation for youths to participate in electoral and other civic processes, arguing that it sets a wrong precedence that causes apathy in the absence of tokens.

Speaking during This Morning on Asakhe Twitter Space organised by CITE, on Thursday, a contributor, Njabulo said  most youths are getting involved in political activities not because they want to participate and bring change but they are in it because something was promised to them.

“Some political parties and organisations are offering youths benefits for them to register to vote which is wrong. Right now if one goes on the ground to talk to young people, they will find that they are largely not interested in politics mainly because of the way the government reacts to divergent views. One will also discover that those who are actively involved in politics have been promised something. It could be land or other essentials,”  he said. 

Njabulo urged youths to be politically conscious and exercise their rights without expecting tokens. 

“The youth should be aware of their political responsibility without expecting tokens for them to participate in decision making,” he said.

Another speaker, Tsepang Nare urged the youth to consider their future and not  unsustainable short-term benefits when making decisions. 

“Using hustle and trying to make ends meet is a lame excuse for not taking part in decision making processes. In your hustle, government must cushion you and as a young person you have to ask what will happen when you retire because the reality is that in our hustles we are just making enough to get by, said Nare.

James Gwanda, another contributor expressed concern over the lack of motivation to participate in civic processes among the youth. 

“The youth constitute the majority of the Zimbabwean population as per the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTATS) statistics meaning that we have got a greater chance of influencing change and choosing the people we want to lead us. However, most young people are not motivated, this makes it easy for them to be exploited by politicians through tokens”, said Gwanda.

He added that unemployment  further makes young people more vulnerable to exploitation. 

“The majority of youths are not employed and they have no source of income. This contributes to vote buying where young people end up voting for someone who is presenting them with short-term benefits, some of which are dangerous, for example illicit alcoholic beverages,” he said. 

Another speaker, Thabiso Sibanda, highlighted that the toxic environment in the country’s political landscape deterred young women from participating in politics. 

“The most discouraging and impeding factor for youth, particularly women who want to get into politics is the toxic environment. For example, if you look at the treatment our youngest female Member of Parliament has been subjected to you will see that the playing field is not level. At the end of the day young women choose to stay away,” said Sibanda.