Faustinus Shikukutu

Politics of the belly have turned politics into the dirtiest game ever to be played by homo sapiens. These days, politics is no longer practised in the best interest of the people, but rather, in the best interest of the belly of the opportunists and self-centered egoistic individuals. 

The current politics in Namibia is, to a greater extent, penetrated by incompetent and unethical elements who suffocate themselves with party scarves and dancing or singing the loudest at political rallies so that they can be parachuted to the political tabernacle. 

This is the greatest human tragedy of our current politic! Unfortunately, this politics has cleverly been played by spreading false information about competent cadres.

Lying about a candidate’s record, political credentials or private life are forming the tenets of lies in Namibian politics.  

With the 2024 election campaign taking off, many so-called politicians are scrambling to get closer to those with political muscle to be remembered and considered for various political or government positions when the election dust settles. The majority use all tricks and political lies to discredit those they fear as stumbling blocks to their sinister dreams. Their dream is not to serve the poor but to serve their bellies and egos.

Play the ball and not the man

Our late president may his soul rest in peace, used to emphasize that as humans, we must play the ball and not the man. In other words, talk about a person`s ability and competence to do the work but don't go making a judgment on how they present, who they are and where they are from, what they own, not to mention what you have heard about them. Playing the man through lies is tantamount to character assassination as it tarnishes the character of the targeted individual. Growing up, our parents told us not to lie. Lying is the subject of the ninth of the 10 commandments in the Christian faith and Namibia being labelled a Christian-dominated nation one could expect to do better. The commandment is “thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour,” or in plain English, do not tell stories that are untrue about people. Today, many have forgotten that it is a sin to lie or at the very least morally wrong. 

Some uninformed or tribalistic fellows are contracted to do the smear campaign to tell lies about those they view competent political competitors through various social media platforms. 

The lies extend to labelling certain individual’s failures for not owning private schools, hospitals or training institutions in their respective regions. 

These fellows don`t do any proper research about certain people about their past and only depend on the lies from their masters. These lies are being used to get others to form false beliefs and garner their support. 

It is well known that false information can influence people’s thinking even after they come to realise the information is false.

Lies seek to persuade not by appealing to our freedom to choose but by compelling us via deception to narrow our field of choice. As such, lies give power to the liar and take power away from the person being lied to. Therefore, political lies are the most dangerous body of deceit of all, and people should be careful not to believe in any information being spread but be analytical instead.

Private visits

Visiting those who wield political power in private to be considered for political or government positions will be the order of the day during this election year if it has not yet started. Their political credentials, regional exclusion, and false narratives about others will normally form part of the agenda. One would expect that tarnishing someone`s character through lies to advance own interest is unethical and morally wrong. 

Political leaders who are approached by these wolfs in a sheep`s skin using regional or tribal exclusion instead of competency as reasons for political or government positions should not be entertained. These manipulative and egocentric individuals suffer from the Me disease which is dangerous for progress and inclusivity.

Don’t be fooled

With elections coming up, more belly politicians will surface spreading lies or singing the loudest at campaign rallies, or going to the extent of putting on the party regalia from shoes to hat even in the hottest weather to prove that they are loyal cadres.  

For the sake of the downtrodden Namibian masses, it is time for those in power of different political parties not to be fooled by these belly politicians or their stooges tarnishing competent cadres. Namibia needs competent and ethical individuals to navigate the current and future socio-economic challenges. The biggest danger today, however, is many people buy into social media information without being analytical and critical about it. The belly politics continues to drive much of the party’s politics consequently feeding our nation with incompetent leaders who are only interested in the satisfaction of their bellies or to be called honorable while they are horrible in terms of competency and character.

As Namibians who are true and conscious of the challenges facing the Namibian nation at large, we need to be wary of all efforts that are aimed at discrediting competent and ethical candidates. And in the process, we must ensure that we do not fall prey to regional or tribalistic lies at the expense of competency and ability. 

* Faustinus Shikukutu holds a PhD in education. He is currently lecturing on Educational Leadership and Management as well as Educational Foundation at the University of Namibia, Rundu Campus. All views expressed are his own.