Dorthea Iyaloo Nangolo
Over the past few years, Namibia’s political landscape has been shaped greatly by the use of social media and electronic platforms. Digital democracy refers to the various ways by which electronic platforms can engage and secure the wider and more informed participation of the public in the political environment. Digital democracy involves the greater use of the internet to gauge public opinion by mini referenda and e-petitions, and the use of the internet to activate political debate via social media and online forums.
Despite the obvious disadvantages of digital democracy, it has made Namibia’s democracy more diverse and transparent. Citizens can openly engage in political debates on social media, as well as openly criticise and question the governance of the country. Over the past five years, we have witnessed the increase in citizen participation and involvement in issues affecting the country. With every situation we found ourselves in as country, from allegations of corruption against government officials to issues such as violence against women and children, Namibians were openly engaging in discussions on social media, and calling for a change.
The #ShutItAllDown movement, for instance, started on social media and ended in a protest, calling on the legislature and judiciary to take violence against women and children seriously. This movement speaks volumes of the impact social media dialogues have. However, the demonstration calling on the legislature to draft policies protecting women, children and the LGBTQ+ community from violence amounted to just a protest. Another prominent movement on social media was the #ItWillEndInVoting movement, which focused on advocating for the importance of voting. This movement influenced many young people to actually go to the polling stations and let their voices be heard through their votes. Digital democracy grounds are also home to organisations that focus on civic education and advocating for voting such as SEE Namibia, which has impacted the views on voting greatly, and continues to educate Namibian citizens. Because of the pandemic, we witnessed the online Covid-19 updates and discussions, which indicate the contribution and importance of the digital world. Furthermore, the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) has added a social media section to the news, which section reads people’s views with regards to specific headlines. Again, this speaks volumes of just how important the public’s views are, but also proving just how much Namibia values its democratic principles.
The increase in political debates on platforms such as Twitter enables citizens to be informed about what is happing in the country, and what the government is doing. In 2020, the streets of Twitter took the issue of whether Namibia should legalise abortion or not. The discussion held clearly showed the views of Namibian citizens with regards to the motion, and this indeed shows how digitally democratic Namibia is. Citizens were able to voice their views before the law on abortion could even be reviewed, but these discussions led to no policy formulation on the legalising of abortion. The use of online petitions has become an everyday thing in terms of agitating for a change or review by the government. Online petitions are easily accessible, and many people are able to influence decision- making directly if they are effective enough.
As of today, politicians are able to communicate to citizens via social media. Over the past few years, we started noticing the use of social media as a way of communication by government officials. Today, one can simply visit the presidential Twitter page and get updated on presidential issues in the country. Digital democracy has also enabled politicians to run their political campaigns on electronic platforms, making it very simple to reach the intended audience. However, digital democracy also gives citizens a platform to directly question their leaders and comment on their performance. This can quickly get out of hand, but it is important for our leaders to be able to answer to their citizens, and ensure that they are effective.
There is an alarmingly large gap between digital democracy and the institutions of democracy. There is no doubt that the institutions of democracy are there to ensure that there is a separation of powers and there is effective democracy in Namibia. However, one should question the effectiveness of digital democracy. Many of the discussions, petitions and movements on social media do not go as far as policy formulation, which shows that perhaps the relevant office-bearers do not pay attention or consider the public’s views. This makes us question the effectiveness of our democracy if movements such as #ShutItAllDown do not ignite the creation of protective laws, and discussions such as the Twitter pro-life or pro-choice engagements do not ignite the review of laws such as the law on abortion. The issue at hand is Namibia’s only fast and relevant means of direct democracy is digital democracy, and it proves to be ineffective.
Namibia is getting to a point were citizens are informed and are actively involved in the political affairs of the country. This gives enough room to hold government accountable, and to contribute positively to decision-making in the country and the potential creation of policies. If social media births impactful movements and discussions, Namibia is most definitely using Digital Democracy to its advantage, but when the Legislature and all relevant office-bearers do not consider the public’s views through social media and other platforms, it is a bit concerning in the sense of how impactful digital democracy really is. The political grounds in Namibia are now diverse and inclusive as online platforms enable all the citizens to share their views and hold politicians accountable.