Africa-Press – Namibia. THE National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo) Youth League acting secretary, Veparura Kandirikirira, has called on his party to revive itself and appeal to all Namibians, if it hopes to stand the test of time.
He was speaking to Desert Radio on Sunday. He said the party needs to find an identity that resonates with all Namibians, instead of remaining a party made up of predominantly Ovaherero people.
“When the party was created in 1963, it was created by the traditional authorities, but most leaders have failed to come up with a plan that appeals to everyone, and feel they have to appeal to the traditional authorities,” he said.
“We need to revive the party. The ideological reasoning of the party needs to be revived in one way or another,” he added.
For a long time, the party has kept its identity rooted in the Ovaherero, because of how it was created, however, in the process they failed to create a new identity that is national in nature, he said.
Kandirikirira said the party has requested that all those keen to contest for positions in the forthcoming youth congress, desist from factionalism. So far the party has managed to quash divisions created by the previous elective congress that saw the ascendancy of current president Esther Muinjangue, he said.
Meanwhile, political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah said the failure to transform to national level is not only haunting Nudo, but is a popular selling point for most political parties.
“It is worrisome that political parties in the country are tribally oriented and tribally-driven,” he said.
He reiterated that it is particularly challenging for political parties to survive if they are not deeply rooted in national politics. “They have to be conscious in their approach, especially when it comes to the leadership.
It must be inclusive. “They need to create a new image to de-link from the perception that it is overly an Otjiherero-speaking party so that it can appeal to other ethnic groups, and this is also true for all other political formations.”
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