Nice Trust Advocates for Balanced Emphasis on Human Rights and Responsibilities
Nice Trust is actively engaging with communities to promote good governance and facilitate mindset change.
Kasungu, Malawi - The National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice) Trust has underscored the importance of striking a balance between human rights and corresponding responsibilities, arguing that an overemphasis on rights alone can lead to lawlessness within communities, writes Wanangwa Tembo, MANA.
Speaking during governance sensitization and awareness activities in Kasungu, Nice Programmes Officer, Christopher Naphiyo, expressed concerns about the prevailing misunderstanding of human rights in the context of a democratic society.
He noted that this misunderstanding has led to instances of violence, mob justice, corruption, and other unlawful behaviours.
Naphiyo explained, "With the dawn of democracy, our nation, perhaps driven by enthusiasm, seemed to have disregarded some of our core values and focused solely on our rights, often neglecting the freedoms of others."
He acknowledged that since the advent of multi-party democracy, many organizations have primarily emphasized individual rights while neglecting the corresponding responsibilities.
"As Nice Trust, in our efforts to foster a mindset change, we are working to reorient public thinking towards the concept of responsibilities. This concept aligns with patriotism, integrity, hard work, and self-reliance as essential factors for achieving the goals outlined in Malawi 2063," Naphiyo stated.
He stressed that this shift in mindset takes time but is achievable. One of the key areas of focus for mindset change is instilling a spirit of positivity, demonstrating that it is possible to attain the desired state of affairs.
Sikinai Mtenje, Vice-Coordinator for Kasungu at the Malawi Economic Justice Network (MEJN), echoed the importance of reorienting communities regarding the principles of a democratic society to create a just and accountable nation.
"In a democratic country, transparency, accountability, and the rule of law are vital. These principles are essential in the fight against corruption, which is now affecting many sectors of the economy, posing a threat to the realization of Malawi 2063," Mtenje emphasized.
He also called for a change in how society perceives individuals who amass wealth unfairly through public resources, urging that they should be treated as enemies of society rather than being glorified.
Nice Trust is actively engaging with communities to promote good governance and facilitate mindset change, aiming to transition the country from a low-income and donor-dependent nation to a prosperous middle-income and self-reliant one.