2016-02-29Staff Report 2 Tsumeb The leader of the obscure National Democratic (NDP) leader, Martin Lukato, has threatened to take drastic measures against government if his demands for funding are not met by end of next March. He claims the non-provision of government funding to NDP has negatively affected the party in recent elections, as they do not have enough financial resources to fully participate. “We are being frustrated by the Swapo regime in power, which is promoting the dictatorship of a one-party State… We - the three opposition political parties without seats in parliament - are calling for democracy to be implemented in Namibia. The resources of our rich country Namibia should be distributed to all Namibians, including the political parties registered in Namibia, as stakeholders in order to benefit us all,” Lukato said in a joint petition, undersigned by the Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) and Christian Democratic Voice (CDV), that they handed last week to a representative of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Professor Peter Katjavivi. “We give the Speaker of the National Assembly 30 days to respond to our appeal… on our issues which we have raised in order to reach a lasting solution, as we promote peace and transparency,” they said in the joint petition. “If the Speaker of the National Assembly will ignore our demands, then there will be no option but to take unrevealed action, including calling for a national strike. We promise not to rest until our demands are met. Furthermore, we want to inform the Speaker that an injury to one is injury to all,” they wrote. They further demand a referendum to be conducted regarding the genocide perpetrated by former German imperial troops against Ovaherero and the Nama people. They also want a referendum on the issue of the status of the Zambezi, which they say needs peaceful political dialogue to achieve a lasting solution. The land issue in Rehoboth, as well as the Okwayama boundary in southern Angola, were listed among key issues to be tackled immediately. Last week parliamentary spokesperson David Nahoja said the funding of political parties is a legal entitlement, stipulated by the Electoral Act. The funding allocation formula is is based on the principle of proportional representation as determined in Article 49 and Schedule 4 of the Namibian Constitution, he said. “As such, only political parties represented in parliament are entitled to receive public funding, based on the number of seats the parties have in parliament,” Nahogandja explained. Lukato and his NDP and the NEFF and CDV participated in the 2014 elections, but failed to secure any seats in the National Assembly. The National Assembly - as per the Electoral Act - has no obligation to fund political parties outside the stipulations of the said Act and the Constitution. 2016-02-29Staff Report 2
