{"id":80326,"date":"2024-11-09T17:19:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-09T17:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia"},"modified":"2024-11-09T17:19:00","modified_gmt":"2024-11-09T17:19:00","slug":"what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia","title":{"rendered":"What is their take on the state of Namibia?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. <\/strong><\/span>The 27 November parliamentary and presidential elections are fast approaching.<\/b><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot of singing and dancing on stages, and there\u2019s talking at the people in far-flung communities, but not much talking with them.<\/p>\n

The politicians say they know what\u2019s what in the country. But, do they really? They say they have a vision. But, do they really?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s consider the manifestos of those who appear to be the main contenders: Swapo, the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), the Landless People\u2019s Movement (LPM) and the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC).<\/p>\n

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah<\/p>\n

SWAPO<\/p>\n

Swapo is all about wanting the voting public to recognise and acknowledge everything the party has done since independence in 1990, and even before.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why its manifesto and campaign statements are heavy on historical information going back decades.<\/p>\n

In her foreword to the manifesto, the party\u2019s presidential candidate, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, engages in this backwards gazing, stating: \u201cDespite ongoing challenges such as unemployment, income inequality and poverty, the Swapo party-led government has achieved significant gains in many sectors, including improved water infrastructure, expanded road networks, rural electrification, increased education and health facilities, enhanced social safety nets and reduced infant mortality rates among others.\u201d<\/p>\n

In other words, yes, there are problems, but look at everything we\u2019ve done.<\/p>\n

The first half of the 44-page manifesto is spent reminding us of this.The second half evokes a sense of \u2018we\u2019re going to continue doing the things we\u2019ve been saying we\u2019re going to do\u2019.<\/p>\n

There isn\u2019t much of a vision being pitched to voters, to be honest, just more of us going along as before.<\/p>\n

In fact, this was emphasised by the party secretary general, Sophia Shaningwa, at a recent campaign rally when she said the presumptive next president wouldn\u2019t bring anything new, but simply continue the work of the previous Swapo presidents.<\/p>\n

That said, Nandi-Ndaitwah does attempt to pitch us a vision in her personal manifesto, that is aptly titled \u2018My Leadership Vision for Namibia\u2019.<\/p>\n

In this, she casts herself as \u201ca passionate and caring leadership that is action oriented\u201d.<\/p>\n

She comes with a new set of principles, she says, namely, the \u2018Piami\u2019 principles that stand for pragmatism, integrity, accountability, meritocracy and inclusivity.<\/p>\n

McHenry Venaani<\/p>\n

THE POPULAR DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT (PDM)<\/p>\n

Namibia is broken, and the PDM wants to fix things.<\/p>\n

It has a list of things the ruling party has done wrong or broken, and it is offering to fix them.<\/p>\n

The core of their message is change. It\u2019s a somewhat optimistic message and tone, wrapped in some urgency.<\/p>\n

Party president McHenry Venaani says: \u201cThis election is arguably the most urgent we have faced, and a vote for the PDM is a vote for a future we can all be proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s an air of desperation in the party\u2019s appeal for votes.<\/p>\n

The desperation also shines through in how they\u2019re dramatically, and wholly unrealistically, promising to fix deep-seated socio-economic issues, such as unemployment.<\/p>\n

For instance, the PDM\u2019s \u201ctop priority\u201d will be to reduce unemployment to 11% by 2029.<\/p>\n

This is clearly a wild swing, a promise for the sake of promising.<\/p>\n

Despite this wild promise-making, the party basically calls on us not, to listen to any of the other parties, as \u201cit is only the PDM that can take Namibia forward\u201d.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s not much of a vision of a future Namibia that emerges from this type of message, but it is at least something of a positive message.<\/p>\n

Bernadus Swartbooi<\/p>\n

THE LANDLESS PEOPLE\u2019S MOVEMENT (LPM)<\/p>\n

The LPM wants you to know that we have many problems and that we are threatened by our condition.<\/p>\n

Party leader Bernadus Swartbooi wants us to be mindful that the \u201cyouth\u2019s discontent will inevitably erupt into social unrest, disorder and an escalation of the very poverty and inequality that currently plague our society\u201d if we don\u2019t arrest the situation.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s an element of fear-mongering in this message and tone, along with a sense of conflict and \u201cstruggle\u201d gripping Namibian society.<\/p>\n

Of course, the LPM is here to work \u201ctowards altering the trajectory of this nation for the better\u201d.<\/p>\n

The LPM states that its \u201ctask right now is to take over the government and form an alternative caring government for all, putting people first, restoring our people\u2019s dignity\u201d.<\/p>\n

This sounds good, but once again, we don\u2019t get a sense of the grand vision of Namibia in a future state, just a concern with the fixing of existing ills.<\/p>\n

Panduleni Itula<\/p>\n

THE INDEPENDENT PATRIOTS FOR CHANGE (IPC)<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s help to help yourself.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the IPC\u2019s pitch in its manifesto titled \u2018Strengthening Democracy and Building the Future: A New Vision for Namibia\u2019.<\/p>\n

Like something lifted from the most generic of self-help literature texts, IPC leader Panduleni Itula is quoted in the manifesto stating: \u201cEvery Namibian holds the power to create this future. Let us vote for the future we deserve, the one of opportunities, solidarity and dignity for every citizen, not for the past. Together, we can make the Namibia we dream of a reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s certainly positive, but the message is undermined by the same wild promise-making that afflicts the other two opposition political party manifestos.<\/p>\n

A vision of a future Namibia starts to emerge as one reads this manifesto, but it doesn\u2019t exactly become clear.<\/p>\n

The IPC wants you to know it is not concerned with the past, but the future.<\/p>\n

This is clearly a dig at the ruling party and its backwards gaze.<\/p>\n

On the whole, the manifestos leave much to be desired in tone and substance, but at least they tried, and we do get a sense of the perspectives and natures of the various parties to some extent.<\/p>\n

Of course, it\u2019s just words on paper.<\/p>\n

But, that\u2019s what we have to start with when considering who to vote for.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Frederico Links is the editor of Namibia Fact Check. This article is an output of the Election Fact-Checking Coalition that was initiated by Namibia Fact Check and Africa Check. The Namibian is a partner in this coalition, along with various other media and civil society organisations.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Namibia<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. The 27 November parliamentary and presidential elections are fast approaching. There\u2019s a lot of singing and dancing on stages, and there\u2019s talking at the people in far-flung communities, but not much talking with them. The politicians say they know what\u2019s what in the country. But, do they really? They say they have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":80325,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6],"tags":[234,236,233],"class_list":["post-80326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-files","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-namibia","tag-namibia"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat is their take on the state of Namibia? - Namibia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is their take on the state of Namibia?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Africa-Press – Namibia. The 27 November parliamentary and presidential elections are fast approaching. There\u2019s a lot of singing and dancing on stages, and there\u2019s talking at the people in far-flung communities, but not much talking with them. The politicians say they know what\u2019s what in the country. But, do they really? They say they have […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Namibia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-11-09T17:19:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"What is their take on the state of Namibia?\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-09T17:19:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia\"},\"wordCount\":1052,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2024\/11\/Hazrati1731160194.647603.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"africa press\",\"Africa Press-Namibia\",\"namibia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"files\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia\",\"name\":\"What is their take on the state of Namibia? - Namibia\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2024\/11\/Hazrati1731160194.647603.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-09T17:19:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2024\/11\/Hazrati1731160194.647603.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2024\/11\/Hazrati1731160194.647603.jpg\",\"width\":751,\"height\":451,\"caption\":\"What is their take on the state of Namibia?\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What is their take on the state of Namibia?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/\",\"name\":\"Namibia\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What is their take on the state of Namibia? - Namibia","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What is their take on the state of Namibia?","og_description":"Africa-Press – Namibia. The 27 November parliamentary and presidential elections are fast approaching. There\u2019s a lot of singing and dancing on stages, and there\u2019s talking at the people in far-flung communities, but not much talking with them. The politicians say they know what\u2019s what in the country. But, do they really? They say they have […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia","og_site_name":"Namibia","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2024-11-09T17:19:00+00:00","author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"What is their take on the state of Namibia?","datePublished":"2024-11-09T17:19:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia"},"wordCount":1052,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2024\/11\/Hazrati1731160194.647603.jpg","keywords":["africa press","Africa Press-Namibia","namibia"],"articleSection":["all news","files"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia","name":"What is their take on the state of Namibia? - Namibia","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2024\/11\/Hazrati1731160194.647603.jpg","datePublished":"2024-11-09T17:19:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2024\/11\/Hazrati1731160194.647603.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2024\/11\/Hazrati1731160194.647603.jpg","width":751,"height":451,"caption":"What is their take on the state of Namibia?"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/what-is-their-take-on-the-state-of-namibia#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What is their take on the state of Namibia?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/","name":"Namibia","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80326\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}