By Andrew N. Matjila
According to the old Roman calendar, November (novo) is the ninth month of the year. Nine is also the last numeral on the number line. From nine it’s back to zero. I’m not superstitious, I prefer to leave it to the readers to throw the bones and draw their own conclusions. Maybe after RDP, there’ll be no other party for a long period of time. Maybe. Be that as it may.
The coming into being of yet another new political party onto the political playing field of this part of our continent, accentuates the power of democratic governance, and demonstrates clearly and unequivocally to Communists, dictators, political hardliners, autocrats and other anti-freedom monsters recorded in history, at times referred to with the chilling name of anti-Christ, that the human element in a person always, but always looks for alternatives.
Political parties come and go, together with those who establish them. Some plant their roots deep into the ground during the course of their existence, hoping to anchor themselves for eternity, but because they were brought about by human beings, and often because they were born in controversy, deep underground their roots soon start rotting.
Ask the National Party of South Africa and Kortbroek van Schalkwyk, in power from 1948 to 1994, and the carpet was swept off their feet.
Ask the Rhodesian Front and Ian Smith (M.H.S.R.I.P), Mr “Never in a thousand years”, the Rhodesian rebels thought they could hold the fort forever, until Lancaster House caught up with them.
But the reader might be tempted to say, “Those were racist whites who had it all coming anyway.” True. But looking at Africa, every country has a story to tell. Others started well with good intentions and objectives, ululating truckloads of promises, but like the seed that fell among thorns, they flourished for some time, until the problems of this world choked them, or they choked themselves, and disappeared into the African sun – vanished, gone, evaporated.
Many leaders throughout history have shared the world stage, at times even almost doing the same thing, yet in different parts of the world. While Napoleon was crisscrossing Europe with his armies early in the nineteenth century, scattering foes left and right, putting all his foes to the sword, to build a new, bigger and stronger France, Shaka was crisscrossing southern Africa with his bloodthirsty armies, scattering tribes left and right, putting all to the spear, to build a new bigger and proud Zulu nation.
Indeed, the living side of history’s landscape is dotted with countless leaders from east to west, north to south, who engaged themselves in various methods of winning the hearts and minds of those they regarded as their followers or subjects.
In Namibia, some parties which stole the political show of the past, are today but parties in name only. SWANU came on the scene and shone the torch of freedom to all. It became popular, focussed, until SWAPO became the people’s choice. But before its formation, SWAPO also went through name changes, when the leaders were trying to find their feet. There was OPC, then OPO, and eventually we had SWAPO.
The DTA came with a bang in the late 1970s, when the South African Nationalist Party Government realized that black politics in South West Africa was a reality, and was there to stay. The DTA flag flew high across the country, into the independence of Namibia in 1990, until its ship ran aground in the mid-nineties. It is still aground after 20 years of existence, with very little hope of being dislodged from the perilous waves breaking it up piece by piece.
Salvaging anything on board at this stage is but a pipe dream. Lost opportunities rarely ever come back. Way back in the late 70s, the mighty National Party of South West Africa was torn apart, and, with the element of uncertainty, tried to regain its wounded pride by changing its name to Aktur in the 70s and 80s. ǟ