Tomas Nehale
Article 17(2) of the Namibian Constitution clearly stipulates that “every citizen who has reached the age of 18 shall have the right to vote.”
The National and Presidential elections slated for November, where all eligible voters will express their democratic and civil rights through a free and fair election under the supervision of the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN), is crucial.
Most of the political parties and their presidential candidates are now strategically rolling out their manifestos, as well as campaigning by rhetorically employing different campaigning paradigms in order to entice and win the hearts and souls of the majority to vote for them.
The word ‘manifesto’ originates from the Latin word manifestum, which refers to a list of facts.
Aristotle defines a political manifesto as a roadmap, outlining the policies that a political party commits to implement, should it gain power in a general election.
Since Namibia is a multi-party state, all presidential candidates should orally present and engage the general public about their party manifestos.
This could be hosted on one of the mass communication platforms, for example, the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation – TV or radio, so that the message could efficiently reach the general public at large.
Let’s learn from democratic countries such as America.
Prior to the elections, the Republican and Democratic parties host a public debate – where the contestants share the podium to clearly roll out their party’s manifesto to the general public – and ‘decampaign’ one another, if need be.
Usually, before any election, each political party unveils its official manifesto, establishing the framework for its campaign.
These manifestos play a crucial role by communicating to voters the rationale behind soliciting their support.
Furthermore, manifestos serve as a very important tool, because they are the main ways of telling voters why they should vote for a particular political party.
This means they are usually presented in a persuasive style, which attempts to make readers or listeners believe that the policies they contain will be in their best interests.
As a result, this would help the voters to navigate and find a candidate or party that closely matches their belief, and how they envisage the future of the country.
Moreover, a public manifesto would help voters to be sceptical of political promises made in the manifestos, especially if they perceive them as unrealistic or insincere.
The past experience of unfulfilled promises has led to cynicism and reluctance to trust parties’ pledges. Therefore, should any president voted into power fail to deliver on the promises stipulated in his party’s manifesto, the public shall have a good stance to judge and question the president why he or she is failing to unpack the policies in his party’s manifesto.
In conclusion, voting is the voice of the people, the mechanism through which they express their hopes, dreams and aspirations for a better future.
Thus, the ideologies in the manifesto that resonate with one’s interest would help people to cast a well-motivated and informed vote.
It’s been 34 years of political independence, and it’s time the nation does away with empty promises and propaganda.
Namibia needs a democratically- elected leader who will lead this beautiful nation to the promised land of milk and honey – and such a leader will only be identified if there is a formal political manifesto day designated for the November 2024 general election.
*Tomas Nehale is a teacher by profession and part-time political commentator.