WINDHOEK- With exactly 62 days before the Presidential and National Assembly elections, the country’s official opposition, Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader McHenry Venaani is promising to transform the country into a good society that provides all its citizens with a “good life”.
“The current education system is too weak to provide for the labour demands, health infrastructures are in bad shape- hospitals often lack water and sanitation in shanty towns is nearly non-existent,” said the opposition leader, adding once elected, he will also reduce Cabinet to 15 ministers and four deputies, ensure free education and provide free tertiary in some of the key areas that ensure economic growth.
He was speaking at the launch of the PDM’s election manifesto on Wednesday with a promise to work towards improving Namibian lives, if elected into power, during the upcoming general elections set for November 27.
He was accompanied by his vice-president, Jennifer van den Heever, PDM Treasurer General Nico Smit its United People’s Movement (UPM) coalition leader Piet Junius.
“The structure of our economy has not been able to achieve needed growth. The world around us is rapidly changing and we are lagging behind. Development occurs through well-conceived and executed plans and policies that conform to the changing needs of our society,” said Venaani, adding that it is a situation that he will fix once elected into power.
Currently, Venaani said the nation’s development agenda has become wishful thinking instead of a clear vision.
“We will not achieve Vision 2030 under the current way of doing things,” he stresses.
As such, Venaani said if elected as President he will champion greater prosperity and build modern infrastructure, capacity building of small businesses to create stronger job growth-lower taxes to simulate stronger economic growth and unleash the country’s real economic potential.
Furthermore, Venaani said he will deepen engagements with Sadc, Africa, and new trade routes to BRICS nation, broadened property ownership to include rural communities.
The official opposition leader says he will establish a national audit to identify savings and efficiencies in areas of government, to reduce government debt, end government waste and ensure better value for money in government programmes.
He said he will also review the performance of State Owned Enterprises (SOE’s), limit bailouts and reform the high wage bills that characterise them.
He promised to strategically sell assets that are not core functions of government and decrease the burden of state involvement in business thereby opening up space for the private sector.
“I will develop a One Constituency, One Factory system to unleash rural areas potential, restore prudent financial management for structural integrity to the budget, reduce expenditure by fixing the overlap and duplications between various government programmes – thus reducing the bloated civil service, with the emphasis on natural attrition,” stresses the opinionated opposition leader.