WINDHOEK – DTA is to ammend its constitution to ensure that the party remains relevant in the contemporary Namibian political landscape, said DTA president McHenry Venaani.
“Among them is the unification of the DTA as a single, unified and united political organisation. The party is no longer an alliance of political organisations,” he announced at a media conference last week. The amendments have been accepted in principle and are to be ratified at the party’s central committee meeting next year.
Venaani says the amendments to the DTA constitution include the reduction in size of the central committee to only 80 members, as well as replacing regional chairpersons with regional coordinators. The DTA leader further said the party will base its 2014 election campaign on five key planks, namely housing, education, poverty reduction and employment creation. “We will reintroduce free pre-primary schooling for all Namibians in order to ensure an equal start for all in Grade 1,” he said. On the housing policy, Venaani said the party intends to increase state spending on housing delivery and will redirect the National Housing Enterprise (NHE) to serve low-income groups, among whom the housing demand is the greatest. According to him the party’s aims are to enhance public service delivery in those key areas or planks through accountability and transparency.
“In this regard senior management, permanent secretaries, deputy secretaries, directors and deputy directors’ appointments will no longer be done on a political basis, but rather these position will be filled by technocrats with the required skills and expertise,” he said.
Venaani further said the party aims to introduce a performance management system for the public sector and state owned enterprises (SOE) and under its administration public servants would be required to undergo skills and capacity development.
“Salary packages and promotions will be largely [based] on the above two matters,” he said. According to him the DTA is aware that many Namibians have become disillusioned with politics and the conduct of public affairs.
“The party is committed to driving Namibia forward so that all of the country’s citizens can share in the prosperity that freedom and democracy brings and not just a selected few. The DTA is also calling on all Namibians to register in order to participate in the 2014 national and presidential elections, so that Namibians can have a truly collective say in the future direction of the country.
“The party aim is to promote and prioritise the socio-economic advancement of all Namibians in order to develop and grow the country,” Venaani said.
By Kuzeeko Tjitemisa