WINDHOEK – DTA president McHenry Venaani said his party would promote education as the major part of the DTA election campaign.
In his new year massage, Venaani said as per its education policy, the DTA supports free education, believing that such an initiative enables broad-based access to education for all.
“As a means to complement efforts to enhance access to education, the DTA calls on all Namibian parents to ensure that their children attend school,” he said.
“The late President Nelson Mandela once said, ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,’ and it is only when parents contribute to the efforts of the government that we ensure all Namibian children (will have an education),” Venaani said, adding that the DTA believes that achieving national development, growth and prosperity is a goal that will be most effectively achieved through partnership between the Namibian people and the public and private sectors.
“The party therefore calls on all Namibians to aim to fulfil their personal and professional potential, to work hard and be productive in 2014 … We must make the best of the opportunity to chart the future of our country,“ he urged.
Venaani said that 2014 would be a significant year in Namibian history, as once again the Namibian public will head to the voting booths to elect the country’s next president and members of the National Assembly.
“Needless to say, Namibia stands at a crossroads because during 2014 her future will be determined in no small measure,“ he said.
He said that the DTA believes that 2014 should start on an equal footing for all Namibians. “Yet this will not be so for many Namibians, as the country’s most marginalized communities continue to suffer negative consequences due to developmental lags,“ he said.
Every effort, said Venaani, must be directed towards addressing the developmental backlog that Namibia’s marginalized communities face, and “these people should receive special state assistance in helping to break the cycle of poverty”.
Venaani said his party would also focus on employment creation and called for the establishment of secondary value addition industries in the agro-processing and mineral industries.
“It is encouraging to note that government has also launched a ‘Growth at Home’ strategy that focuses on the establishment of similar sectors. The DTA’s ‘Growth at Home’ strategy will also be one of the key aspects of its 2014 national and presidential election campaign as the party pledges to address employment creation, poverty reduction and economic growth,” he said.
By Kuzeeko Tjitemisa