SWAPO’s internal democracy will be on a litmus test again this weekend when the ruling party holds its historic electoral college. This event is historic in that for the first time in its existence, Swapo will produce a list of parliamentary candidates featuring an equal number of men and women.
Party secretary general Nangolo Mbumba this week confirmed that several members of the party in the National Assembly have officially indicated that they will not be returning to parliament. This means the party will have to dig deep into its human capital reserves to find new faces to replace those leaving.
One of the fundamental problems facing Swapo in recent years is its perceived lax approach to injecting fresh blood in its structures for continuity purposes. With some old faces vacating their parliamentary seats, the party now has an opportunity to address that shortcoming.
Like any other party, Swapo must strive to remain relevant and jealously guard its appeal. Many Namibians still recognise the ruling party’s indelible liberation struggle heroics, but that should not result in complacency.
Swapo’s principles are as intact as any, but principles alone will not address the socio-economic challenges facing our country. It is individuals that are voted for at platforms such as this weekend’s electoral college, who must ensure that the said principles are applied practically to fulfil the promises of the party to the nation.
The electoral college is not a showroom where the strong flaunt their muscles and instil fear in the hearts of the weak. It is also not a platform for patronage and vengeance.
It is an internal democratic elective process, which should serve as a golden opportunity for the party to assess and reflect on its present state.
Comrades know each other and with that knowledge it is this nation’s hope that only those committed to the cause of making Namibia a better country must get a chance to go to parliament and eventually Cabinet.
Opportunists who are in the movement for nefarious purposes such as tenders and self-gratification should be sent packing. That, among others, is what Swapo needs to do in order to remain the darling of voters that it has been for the past 25 years.
Of course we are not here to counsel the ruling party on how to conduct its business but, as the party itself likes saying, when Swapo sneezes the whole country catches the flu. That is how influential Swapo is in the lives of both members and adversaries.
In the wider context of the mammoth challenges confronting the country, the electoral college must have as its sole goal the intention of making Swapo strong enough to deal with every problem thrown at us as a nation.
Corridor talks of who will occupy what position after this weekend is not what Namibians are interested in. Your average Namibian is interested in how Swapo as the ruling party will address bread and butter issues affecting them daily.
Many factors have ominously appeared in recent years that threaten the continued domination of the ruling party and its stranglehold over the country, among them the evident post-2012 congress fights between Swapo members.
This time around, Swapo is once again presented with an opportunity for self-renewal, central to which would be the grooming and injection of new leaders and the building of consensus around successors to the current aging leaders. But above all, let democracy be the common denominator at this elective conference.