Africa-Press – Namibia. AFFIRMATIVE Repositioning movement leader Job Amupanda said his announcement about running for the Presidency next year using billboards is all about the Namibian youth taking political power.
Many people in Windhoek, Ondangwa and the coastal areas were surprised over the weekend to see huge billboards with Amupanda’s picture accompanied by slogans, including ‘Don’t worry, your president is coming’.
Amupanda told The Namibian yesterday that the billboards are communicating and giving assurance to young people.
“We are simply just communicating in a way that young people understand,” Amupanda said, while confirming his presidential ambitions.
He plans to run for the Presidency in next year’s presidential election, and to take over the highest office.
“I always say that 60% of the African continent is young. And the same statistics also apply to Namibia. So, as young people, we generally do things differently. There are certain messages that resonate very well with us.
“The older generation call rallies and call press conferences – that old way of doing things. But nowadays, in terms of information and communication technology, there is a specific communication strategy and approach that appeals to young people.
“And that has to do with advertising, so that the social psychological consciousness of a young person is in the space where they are, be it clubs or in the streets,” he said about his decision to use billboards.
“We reached a standpoint where youth are saying we need to take it to another level.”
Amupanda, who is now 35 years old, is allowed to run for president under the law.
After spending over a decade in activism, Amupanda said young people are changing strategies, by aiming for political power.
“We tried the streets, we tried petitioning, we tried the courts, we even tried the State House and local authorities to achieve our objectives. We discovered that without political power, without taking over the institutions of the state, you will not be able to achieve your objectives,” he said.
“We want to sit at the head of the table. We have been negotiating through the windows, and throwing letters under the door. We now want to sit at the head of the table.”
Regarding the ‘Don’t worry, your president is coming’ slogan on the billboards, Amupanda said this is to give assurance and hope to the majority of dejected youths.
“Don’t worry means a recognition that there is something wrong, people are worried, people are despondent and there is no hope. So, we are responding to all those problems.
“It can be you’re driving your car and going through all sorts of challenges. That individual person that sees the message, I may not know them, but it must speak to reality,” he said.
POLITICAL MINEFIELD
However, Amupanda has to negotiate a political minefield, if he is to achieve his ultimate goal. The ruling party, Swapo, is expected to field its vice president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, as its presidential candidate, who may be riding on the gender card.
President Hage Geingob confirmed during the party’s central committee meeting on Saturday in Windhoek that Nandi-Ndaitwah is the ruling party’s presidential candidate for next year’s presidential and National Assembly elections.
Deputy minister of gender equality, poverty eradication and social welfare Bernadette Jagger and Swapo stalwart is rooting for the deputy prime minister’s position.
“Gone are the days when only men became president. Namibia will have a female president,” Jagger declared during the commemoration of International Women’s Day held at Swakopmund last week.
“We are doing well. Gone are the days when women were only cooks in their kitchens. Gone are the days when men were the only politicians and were taking up very high-level political positions. We shall make a soft contract to fill up all those spaces that were filled by men in the past,” she said about the influence of women in leadership.
RICH CREDENTIALS
Political analyst Ndumba Kamwanya said it is crucial that the public pay attention, as it would help them decide who to vote for.
Kamwanya said Namibians must take Amupanda seriously since he has been in politics for a long time.
“He has been in international politics for more than five years. He was a student activist, a youth leader of the Swapo Party Youth League, a leader of the Affirmative Repositioning Movement, served as a mayor of Windhoek and now a member of the council’s management committee,” he said.
With all those activities, Amupanda has taken part in, he must be taken seriously and he is fit for the Presidency, Kamwanya said.
“For him to ensure that he wins the presidential election, it depends on what he is going to do. That will also be determined by his manifesto and agenda, whether his agenda is inclusive or he is only targeting the youth,” he said.
Kamwanya added that Amupanda over the years has been focusing on the youth and senior citizens.
“It will also depend on how he will go and convince the voters why he is the right candidate for the job. He must also look at what he achieved when he was a mayor and try to transfer that when he wins the Presidency,” Kamwanya said.
Kamwanya said if Amupanda wins the presidential election, he must desist from symbolic politics and offer tangible and concrete politics.
“He must guard against power. Power corrupts people. We have seen great politicians ,but when they get power, they become different,” he added.
“This is because Amupanda sometimes engages in antagonistic politics where he does not listen to others. But, as a president, you must be able to listen to different views,” Kamwanya said.
He noted that Amupanda must not only target to get votes from the youth, but also from the elders.
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