Swapo presidential candidate and Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has fiercely rejected media reports that the country’s democracy is on the auction block.
This comes after party members, supporters and businesspeople donated more than N$16 million for the party’s election campaign.
“We cannot sell this country. Not Swapo [and] not under my leadership,” she boldly stated at the close of the ruling party’s electoral college this week.
Nandi-Ndaitwah vowed that under her leadership, the nation’s integrity would remain non-negotiable.
An article published in a local daily titled ‘Democracy on Sale’ broke down the funds the party received via donations.
These included donations from the Rani Group, businessman Shapwa Kanyama and the son of Zimbabwean president Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said in other democratic countries, big companies make donations to the parties openly; however, when it comes to Namibia, “they are selling out.”
“That is not fair,” she complained.
She justified that people have donated such big amounts as they feel Swapo is a party that will maintain peace and stability.
“For them to run their business and live in peace, a system that is going to be transparent, ethical, with integrity and save everybody. Those who are giving money want to protect the true democracy of their country as other people are doing,” she further said.
The Vice President said those [media reports] are from detractors trying to make them feel guilty when “we are not guilty of anything”.
In the same vein, Nandi-Ndaitwah said those who have donated should expect nothing from the party in return apart from democracy.
“When some people have money that you don’t know where it’s coming from, you are quiet. This one is known where it is coming from. Go and audit those companies, and then you see it,” she said.
Capacity
On Tuesday, Swapo finalised its highly anticipated electoral college, introducing a host of new faces to its party list for the National Assembly.
The outcome has seen the inclusion of young, energetic candidates poised to bring fresh perspectives to the table.
However, this shift has also put many current parliamentarians on the chopping block, sparking heated debates within the party and beyond.
While some members and observers applaud the changes as necessary and progressive, others remain unconvinced, questioning whether these new entrants have the experience and political acumen to navigate the challenges ahead.
Although the party has done well to field young people to the National Assembly, “unless the party operationalises its think tank and prioritises serious socio-political re-education, it is likely to continue losing public favour,” says Ndemuweda Emmanuel, a political scientist.
“A massive ideological shift is happening in Namibia, and the party is resisting it,” he observed.
In turn, he opined that Namibians would continue to resist the party because its representatives, no matter how youthful, will continue to sound and be out of touch with the masses, while other political players push forward.
“At the moment, it is unclear what the party’s ideology is, apart from bread and butter issues,” Emmanuel added.
While he is still studying the list, political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah also raised concerns regarding the capacity of the candidates.
“The same people that were in Parliament, we haven’t really seen robust debates and people that understand the challenges we are faced with and law-making processes.”
In that regard, Kamwanyah said there might not be change in terms of the quality of participation and skills and knowledge of understanding socio-economic challenges to come up with robust laws.
The party will launch its manifesto for 2025-2030 this week, which will determine the party’s strategies and ideologies for its next political term.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said the launch will be done simultaneously in all the regions, and the main event will be in Windhoek.
“We want many people to witness the launch; we will make screens available to the people to follow the proceedings. The candidates will appear on all the screens during the manifesto, so the electorate will know them and see their faces,” she said.
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