The Landless People’s Movement’s lead youth leader Duminga Ndala says young people should no longer allow greedy politicians to steal from them, or old people to dictate the terms of their future.
She made these remarks during her contribution to a public lecture under the theme ‘Politics of Betrayal: How Namibia is Being Stolen’, that took place recently in Keetmanshoop in the //Kharas region.
Ndala reasoned that it is high time for them to rise to the occasion and defend what is rightfully theirs.
‘’As a youth wing, our mandate remains to promote public discourse, particularly among young people, hence our call to have events like this,’’ she said. The young politician added that it is now three years since they (LPM youth) committed themselves to the course of social justice, human dignity and political transformation.
“It has been a journey of fighting high-level corruption, administrators who are self-serving, conscientising our people, and importantly, giving hope to the downtrodden, marginalised and young people,’’ she emphasised.
Ndala furthermore raised the concern that Namibia is a country with one of the highest inequality rates in the world as a result of colonialism, land dispossession, unfair distribution of wealth and the continuous looting of resources by the ruling elites and greedy politicians.
This resulted in high youth unemployment, colossal poverty and under-development, she continued.
Delivering the main address, LPM leader Bernadus Swartbooi called on party leaders to, while still early, ensure that the transition of leadership be carried out as smoothly as possible to prevent a leadership crisis later.
‘’Electoral fraud is the primary basis through which politics of betrayal can thrive as it takes away your own voice/power to determine who must lead you. Thereafter, the rest to follow will be easy,’’ he said.
The party leader urged followers to protect their voice/vote as this is the only way they can remove those who betray them and to, furthermore, stand up and raise their voices in order not to be consumed by the corrupt systems in place.
Swartbooi stated that politics of betrayal is rooted in stealing another one’s voice and the acceptance of structural violence, poverty, unemployment and non-development as your status in life.
He thus called on all LPM political councillors to be vigilant as politics of betrayal normally starts with small things.
“Do not accept bribes from those who are your ‘friends’, but rather first decide between right and wrong,’’ Swartbooi advised.