Africa-Press – Namibia. INDEPENDENT Patriots for Change (IPC) leader Panduleni Itula said the socio-economic challenges faced by Namibians cannot be solved by one political party or through political pronouncements.
If Namibia is to develop, the nation must first move away from partisan politics and embrace a new way of governance which should be conducted through cooperation by all political stakeholders, he said at the IPC’s first national engagement for 2022 on Monday.
Judging from Swapo’s rule over the past 30 years, Itula said it’s evident that issues of poverty, unemployment, poor economic growth and effective governance, among other things, cannot be solved by applying a partisan approach.
“Those who think they can solve the socio-economic challenges we find ourselves in as Namibians single-handedly, do not understand the magnitude of the task that has to be undertaken to deliver prosperity to Namibians. The challenges Namibia faces are much more difficult to solve than one political party can imagine,” Itula said.
Namibians have already suffered enough from one party rule over the past 30 years of Swapo’s reign, he said, asserting that it was because of Swapo’s partisan approach to government that more than 1,6 million Namibians find themselves in poverty today.
The ruling party and its leaders have also failed to address poverty through an effective and relevant education system over the past 30 years, he said.
“We promised people education, but what type of education did we give them? Many of our graduates now walk on the streets with PhDs and yet we promised them education. Yes, education [is needed] but what was the content of that education? Is that education relevant to the socio-economic development of this country?”
To solve the problems faced by the masses, Itula said Namibians must move away from identifying themselves with political parties before they recognise themselves as a nation with one purpose.
“We need to be able to understand our society more. Not a society of political parties, or partisan ideologies because our people do not eat political parties or ideologies . . . It is not the colours that you wear or the ‘viva viva’ politics that determine your future. Choose Namibia above [being] partisan. Choose the future of your children above [being] partisan and [above] ideologies,” he said.
Itula promised that if the IPC and other parties assume power in 2024, the appointments of people will be done on merit and not political affiliation.
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