WINDHOEK – The Deputy Secretary General of Nudo, Vetaruhe Kandorozu, has called on the private sector to fund opposition political parties because they are contributing to peace and stability in the country.
Kandorozu claims the private sector continues to pledge thousands of dollars to the ruling party Swapo but ignores opposition parties.
“The private sector only supports the ruling party – what they should do instead is collect funds among themselves and divide those funds among all political parties,” said the Nudo politician.
“We must remember that opposition parties are the ones maintaining the ruling party by not attempting to topple the government, or [not engaging in] any form of political violence that will directly affect the business operations of the private sector and derail the peace of the country.”
Kandorozu, who doubles as Okakarara Constituency councillor, says the lack of funds is the primary reason why opposition parties fail to pose any real threat to the ruling party.
Most of the opposition parties have over the years expressed their disappointment over a lack of financial support, with many having to solicit funds from their members and foreign donors because funding from local organisations and businesses has not been forthcoming.
Without empowerment opposition parties will not be able to effectively carry out the checks and balances of the government and in society.
Kandorozu also defended opposition parties from armchair critics who claim that opposition parties only criticise government policies but present no alternative.
“We were never given a chance to do so. Another problem is that our people hardly read, otherwise they could have seen the alternative policies proposed in our manifestos,” he said.
Said Kandorozu: “Even if Swapo gets the two-thirds majority, if we as opposition unite we can at least push and gain control of the house of review (National Council).
“I guarantee you the ruling party will be forced to listen to us. If we can at least control the local authorities and regional councils, checks and balances will improve. This will subsequently enhance transparency in our system.”
He also commented on criticism suggesting that opposition parties are too divided to pose any real threat to the ruling party during the upcoming National Assembly and presidential elections.
The division is too huge, he said, adding: “We need to unite from the grassroots if we are to inculcate any trust in the voters. Namibians want to be associated with winners, therefore if we can unite and perform people will support us.”
“The absence of proper checks and balances in the governance system is a result of the weak opposition in the country. This is partly caused by the fact that we are divided because it seems no one wants to join up with the other to form a coalition since each party does not want to lose its identity,” he said.
Most opposition parties hoped that the recently passed [August] electoral bill would accommodate their calls for political party funding to be done on an equal basis, which is not the case after it emerged in the bill that the funding of political parties would be done on the basis of proportional representation as has been the case over the years.