WINDHOEK – Outspoken Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) Member of Parliament (MP) Elma Dienda could lose her parliamentary seat following her dismal performance at the party’s electoral college held over the weekend.
Dienda, a former CoD parliamentarian, is seventh on the party parliamentary list meaning that if PDM only retains its five seats she will not make it to parliament. In the top five Dienda is replaced by Ricky Vries who is the party’s national chairperson. Top on the list is party leader McHenry Venaani, followed by deputy president Jennifer van Den Heever at second, third Vries, fourth Vipua Muharukua and in fifth position Nico Smith.
Johannes van Wyk is sixth followed by Dienda at seventh, Esmeralda !Aebes eighth, Martin Johannes at ninth, Kazeongere Tjeundo at tenth and the youthful, energetic Ina Hengari in 11th position.
Hengari is the secretary general of the newly formed Student Union of Namibia (SUN).
PDM elected 96 candidates to represent the party in the National Assembly, depending on the votes it gets during the national elections later this year.
Amongst the top 30 candidates, about 40 percent are women and 33 percent are youth.
Speaking at the opening of the electoral college on Saturday, Venaani said: “Leaders who put their interests ahead of those of the country or the people that they purport to lead should not be elected in positions of influence as doing so is counterproductive and against the ethos of nation-building.”
“It is important to put it down that many of us wish to serve in a certain position but for the wrong reasons. We wish to serve our families in certain positions of power. We wish to serve our statuses as individuals in positions of power. And we cannot purport to lead our country if we are self-centered in our politics,” he added.
Venaani said that over the last five years he has seen politicians in the National Assembly barely opening their mouths to contribute to the improvement of policies or even mere debates.
“I have seen the ruling party’s MPs – 60 per cent of them were mum, quiet in the National Assembly. And I ask myself if that is a representation, then I do not want such representation.”
Venaani added: “You can’t afford to purport to lead people in silence.”
He encouraged Namibians who aspire to political office or any other position of influence to be staunch patriots.
“Namibia, this country which is the quantum of our hopes and the bearer of our souls; Namibia’s survival is more cardinal than any political formation in our republic,” he said.
He said that talking about future matters and engaging young people in conversations about politics and how it impacts them is pivotal in any democratic dispensation.
“As we speak, overall unemployment still stands at 37 percent while youth unemployment is at 43,4 percent, yet we have various ministries returning money to Treasury despite a worsening poverty crisis in the country.”
“Namibia is for all, not just a few comrades who tell the president what they think he wants to hear while stuffing their own pockets with deals that mean nothing for the majority,” he said. Namibia will hold Presidential and National Assembly elections on November 27.