Windhoek
The Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) will meet with other minority parties to discuss a possible political partnership, RDP secretary general Mike Kavekotora said on Tuesday.
Briefing the media on resolutions taken by the party’s extraordinary central committee meeting that took place over the weekend, Kavekotora said his office has been mandated to discuss and work out the modalities of cooperating with other opposition parties.
“We shall cooperate with other opposition parties in the regional council elections, which are due to take place at the end of 2015,” Kavekotora said.
The executive director of the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR), Graham Hopwood, said that in the past cooperation between the UDF and DTA in the Kunene Region has meant that Swapo has struggled to gain control of the region. (In the regional council elections the DTA did not field a candidate in constituencies where the UDF was strong, while the UDF did not put up candidates in constituencies where the DTA was strong.)
Hopwood said such pacts whereby the opposition back only one candidate in the regional constituencies could increase the chances of their taking some constituencies from the ruling party.
However, Hopwood said, Swapo is so dominant in so many constituencies now that such an approach would only have a chance of success in a handful of constituencies.
“In the past, talk of national level cooperation between opposition parties has always come to nothing and I think it is likely that the same will happen this year,” he said.
“Perhaps the UDF and DTA will continue their agreement in the Kunene Region, but I do not foresee any national cooperation.” Kavekotora revealed that the RDP will meet with the United Democratic Front (UDF), South West Africa National Union (Swanu), National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo), Republican Party (RP) and the Congress of Democrats (CoD) to discuss possible political cooperation against Swapo. Furthermore, Kavekotora demanded that the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) go hand in hand with a voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT), as provided for in the electoral law.
“Voters across the country have expressed their distrust of the use of EVMs without VVPAT,” he said, adding that reports from all 14 regional secretaries of the party have shown that Namibians are not happy just to shoot in the dark and vote without knowing that their votes cast are allocated to the political parties and candidates of their choice.
Kavekotora also appealed to all voters to familiarise themselves with the RDP 2014 election manifesto, which he says recognises and addresses the nation’s aspirations on land, jobs, pensions, health, housing and security. He explained the party’s decision not to send its newly elected president, Jeremiah Nambinga, to parliament on the grounds that a decision was taken during the last central committee (CC) meeting prior to the electoral college.
“The CC meeting held before the electoral college took a decision that it would be the last time for the top four to automatically go to parliament, but [in future they] will rather be elected to go there,” he explained.
He said the party also took a decision to participate fully in the regional council and local authority elections, scheduled for November.
Furthermore, he said, the party should identify and elect competent, hardworking, non-corrupt and committed party cadres who are respected in their communities to contest leadership positions at regional and local authority level.
The party also elected new members into the three vacant positions on the central committee, as well as alternate members.
The new CC members are Reginald Hercules (//Karas Region), Peter Kamuzari, (Otjozondjupa Region) and Tjinezuma Kavari (Kunene Region). Alternate CC members are John Nghishekwa (//Karas Region), Maria Kambunga (//Karas Region) and Angeline Muronga (Kavango East Region).
New national executive committee members include Mirjam Hamutenya (Khomas Region), Kennedy Shekupakela (Kavango West Region), Ekonia Kamati (Khomas Region) and Corinne Poulton (Hardap Region).