Swapo central committee member Tobie Aupindi has warned against politics of division and tribalism in the //Kharas region.
He told regional delegates at the party’s ordinary conference they should elect leaders who will best look into the hopes and aspirations of the electorate.
The Swapo backbencher spoke before the //Kharas regional leadership election in Keetmanshoop last Saturday. “We need comrades who are prepared to risk it all for the benefit of our people,” said the member of the Swapo political bureau. He said the party’s challenge today is the need to embrace the future whilst honouring its historic and glorious past.
The member of parliament also expressed concern that Swapo lost four constituencies during the last regional council elections and, therefore, needed to up its game to return to its past glories.
“We just came from the national policy conference, where our party continues to make history, and where President Hage Geingob has declared that we will no longer embrace the politics of division, and that the so-called teams must be totally and permanently destroyed,” he said.
He also warned supporters present that tribalism is a serious concern that will destroy Swapo in the //Kharas region and the country as a whole. “Tribalism is one of the identified retrogressive tendencies and are in total prohibited by the Swapo constituency,” the politician emphasised.
He also strongly denounced the perception that there is a deliberate effort to exclude the youth from the top structures of the party.
“The youth are not the leaders of tomorrow; you are the leaders of today,” he added. Aupindi also called on delegates not to use party infrastructure to benefit one candidate over another. “Party structures are only there for administering party affairs and not for running campaigns for your preferred candidates,” he warned. Delegates to the conference re-elected regional coordinator Matheus Mumbala. “Our main challenge is not to relate to the history, but we should instead consider that when our terms are over here, after the announcement of results for the respective leadership positions, we must concede failure if being on the losing side at the end,” Muumbala emphasised. Mumbala added that whilst busy renewing the mandate of party office bearers, delegates should not forget that Swapo lost //Kharas region because of tribalism – and that anyone still having such notion in mind should stop it. “If you do not know the analysis of politics in this region, you should rather distance yourself,” he told delegates.
He added that all supporters should start appreciating what other leaders in the region have done for the party, and be more fair and objective in their political statements. Mumbala garnered 40 votes for the position of regional coordinator, securing him a third term in office.
His challengers were George Pieters (23), Samuehl Jacobs (two) and Helena Eelu (one). Meanwhile, Irene Laberloth (45 votes) will be the new regional information and mobilisation officer, while Margaret Basson received 21 votes. Vicentius !Goraseb was elected as the party’s regional treasurer above incumbent Jimms Christiaans and contester Rauna Namukwambi.
- sklukowski@nepc.com.na