WINDHOEK– The Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) says that it has nothing to lose if the Republican Party (RP) reneges on merger plans between the two opposition parties.
The RDP and RP hatched plans for the political union that should have taken place before the November Presidential and National Assembly Elections a couple of years back. RDP vice president Steve Bezuidenhout told New Era yesterday that RP leader, Henk Mudge, initiated the move by selling the plan to RDP leader, Hidipo Hamutenya. “I picked up unofficially that Mudge has had a change of mind. Fortunately we have nothing to lose because they [RP] approached us and some of their members have even joined us already as a result of the pre-agreement that we signed.” Bezuidenhout says the RP would struggle to make it in the upcoming elections, because a substantial number of its supporters have already joined the RDP. “Some of their members who joined us are even councillors on some local authorities as a result of the merger plans,” he said. According to Bezuidenhout if Mudge is unwilling to go ahead with the planned merger, he should indicate so. “It is better that the merger plan is cancelled, because in politics you cannot afford to have an unwilling partner.” He said if the two parties merge, the RP would have to deregister with the Electoral Commission of Namibia in which case the RDP would then take over the administrative staff of the RP.
Bezuidenhout is convinced that unless the RP receives new members, it cannot carry on. According to him the RP even convened a congress where they decided that a merger would be in the best interest of the party. “For him to have second thoughts after we have done everything is a bit unfortunate, but if there is unwillingness on his part than we will accept it,” he said. Mudge was tight-lipped about the merger plans when approached for comment by New Era last month, only saying that plans on the merger would be made public at a later stage and promised to convene a media conference. The media conference never materialised.
By Mathias Haufiku