WINDHOEK – The ruling party Swapo turns 55 this Sunday – which presents another opportunity for the party to go back to the ideals for which it was formed in 1960.
The party also needs to take a long look at itself in the mirror to see if it resembles its original self or if it has become a shadow of the movement that enjoyed international support for its never-say-die persistence for freedom.
The main event is slated for Oshakati on Sunday, where party president Hifikepunye Pohamba is expected to put to bed speculation over the future of his position in the party.
Against all odds, Swapo persisted for 30 years before it delivered independence and freedom to Namibia. With independence, democracy was born.
After the war in 1989, the party transitioned from being an armed liberation struggle movement into a modern and democratised political party. It has remained the party of choice for the majority of Namibians for the past 26 years – and there is no sign of losing that status just yet.
Many liberation movements in the region have dwindled because of a variety of reasons, but Swapo has withstood the test of time.
The transition in both the party and the government it leads has been smooth and without major hiccups, as is the scenario among many of its peers.
Disunity has continued to rear its ugly head in the party from time to time, but this has not been significant enough to bring the party to its knees.
It is because of intra-party disunity that offspring Congress of Democrats (CoD) and the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) were formed by former trusted party cadres.
The emergence of internal camps among senior leaders and the on-going discord between the mother body and its youth wing continue to polarise relations in the party too.
A special central committee meeting is slated for tomorrow, before celebratory events kick off on Sunday at the local Independence Stadium.
Analysts believe that Swapo’s uncompromised role in liberating the country has been the springboard of much of its electoral successes for the past 25 years.
A report released in 2009 by the Institute of Public Policy and Research, titled ‘Political Party Life in Namibia: Dominant Party with Democratic Consolidation’, highlighted how political issues and ideology play a secondary role in the politics of the country and that personalities and party loyalty count for more.
The report said there is a widely held perception among the electorate that leaders are there to “pursue sectional and personal interests”.
It also states that parties function as pulpits or pressure groups rather than as political parties in the more general understanding of what parties should do in a democracy.
“Opposition party leaders generally see their roles as containing the executive and providing alternative policies not as a government in waiting,” states the report.
Although there are those claiming the ruling party has forsaken the ideals for which it was established, the party’s elders council holds a different view.
“Of course, after gaining political freedom we had to divert a bit in our quest for economic freedom. The party is still very strong and we continue to enjoy the support of many,” said the Swapo Elders Council secretary Mukwaita Shanyengana yesterday.
Shanyengana conceded that the party continues to find it hard to address the struggle for land.
“We know the struggle of land continues. But those people who want government to expropriate land should know that land expropriation is more expensive than the willing-buyer, willing-seller concept,” warned Shanyengana.
The often-ostracised youth wing of the party tells New Era that it believes the party still stands for its founding values, although there are some party cadres who act contrary to those values.
SPYL secretary Elijah Ngurare urged those heading the party to ensure that the values of the party are maintained for future generations. “The ideals of the party have never changed, what has changed is the application of some people that went contrary to the values such that if you are not my friend you will not benefit. In general, I can say the ideals of the movement have not changed,” said Ngurare.