Youth petition Parliament over liquor sachets

Youths from the country’s three regions on Tuesday petitioned Parliament to enact a law banning production and selling of liquor in sachets.

Speaking during the presentation, leader of the group and executive director of Young Achievers for Development (YAD), Jefferson Milanzie, said sachets are killing the future of the nation.

“We are quickly creating a failed nation; a nation of drunkards. Let’s not compromise on people’s health and to say the fact, this is making us extremely poor. The youth often use the sachets as an escape from the harsh realities of everyday life,” he said.

Milanzie further explained that the concerned youths are also embarking on other advocacy activities.

“We won’t stop on the Parliament petition only; we are also intensifying other activities so that the sachets are completely trashed out of the country. This is dirty tax and we cannot live on such dirty tax; government must act very quickly on this,” he said.

Receiving the petition on behalf of Parliament, Legal Affairs Committee chairperson Peter Chakhwantha assured the youth of Parliament’s commitment towards a healthy nation.

Said Chakhwantha: “Let me assure you that the Business Committee and the Speaker will meet to look into this issue because it’s becoming a national concern. When everything is done we shall definitely review the Liquor Act and hopefully this will be history. Our neighbouring countries have done away with these and we are the only ones being complacent.”