By Staff Reporter<\/p>\n
DEMOCRATIC Party president Harry Kalaba says the innovative skills possessed by youths should be harnessed.<\/p>\n
In his message to commemorate the youth day, Kalaba said March 12 was a special day when \u201cwe recognise\u201d the special gift of the country \u2013 the youth of Zambia.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, we take our hats off to a group of youths, men and women with the greatest potential to change the socio-economic trajectory of our country,\u201d Kalaba stated in his youth day message.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, we take pride in the tremendous contributions of the young men and women to the political sphere of our beloved country.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stated that he today sees a youth full of innovation but that this innovation is not harnessed.<\/p>\n
Kalaba stated that today\u2019s youth possessed significant entrepreneurial skills but that the environment was not enabling them to be private sector participants.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, I see a youth scientist and technologist returning home from abroad but the government has no plans to enhance the diminishing science base and industry for technology transfer,\u201d Kalaba stated.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, I see a differently gifted youth yearning for skills but the government has no plans for such youth. On this youth day, I appreciate the fact that in 2019 we have a youth population that is far more educated than ever before.\u201d<\/p>\n
The opposition leader added, Zambia today had a youth population far greater in numbers with collective zeal and energy which when well harnessed, could place Zambia on a global developmental path, \u201cyielding economic dividends.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOn this day, I lament the fact that as educated as the youth are, the current government has put the youths\u2019 certificates and degrees under lockdown,\u201d Kalaba stated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis government has simply failed to find the golden key to unlock Zambia\u2019s socio-economic potential and job creation for the youth.\u201d<\/p>\n
He lamented further that Zambia had created a \u201cdesolate and desperate youth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA few desperate youth are being exploited by politicians as tools of political violence and insults for political expediency, especially by the ruling party. These youths have been used to define politics as a dirty and dangerous field, hence perpetuating fear in those who have a positive agenda for genuine change, engendering youth development. To the youth, I say good always triumphs. The youth with a positive disposition and agenda for Zambia are much more than the misguided violent political misfits masquerading as political cadres,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
\u201cI ask the youth to believe again. You and I will turn the status quo with the wheel of change. You and I will work together to create the Zambia we want.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Kalaba stated that the DP valued the contributions of the youth and hence created space for youth leadership in politics.<\/p>\n
Kalaba stated that the DP advocated further for \u201csmart and violence-free politics in order to promote universal enfranchisement and participation in politics.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe DP believes that Zambia can have its equal share of demographic dividend if we invested in quality tertiary education with universal access for all, regardless of family background and economic status,\u201d stated Kalaba.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe DP further believes in stratification of educational loan schemes comprising tuition, lodging and meals to enable access to tertiary education for all and without leaving anyone behind. Let\u2019s move together and create the Zambia we want.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Staff Reporter DEMOCRATIC Party president Harry Kalaba says the innovative skills possessed by youths should be harnessed. In his message to commemorate the youth day, Kalaba said March 12 was a special day when \u201cwe recognise\u201d the special gift of the country \u2013 the youth of Zambia. \u201cToday, we take our hats off to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsdayzambia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8979"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsdayzambia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsdayzambia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsdayzambia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsdayzambia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8979"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/newsdayzambia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8979\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8980,"href":"http:\/\/newsdayzambia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8979\/revisions\/8980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsdayzambia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsdayzambia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsdayzambia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}