Opposition must get real

Ja, even the established ones have been eating away at their own support and seem unable to beat Swapo in an election.

It’s that time of the election cycle again when the delirium starts afresh. The other day the media received an invite to the “launching rally” in Opuwo from “Candidate for Party President McHenry Venaani”.

OK! So the brother is trying to turn the DTA presidential race into a news event? If the other opposition parties read this, please make sure you all only nominate one candidate to stand against Hage Geingob of Swapo. Venaani could be the one.

However, as slick and affable as Venaani is, we know that Tate Buti has a bigger chance of winning a Grammy than Venaani becoming President of Namibia or any opposition party coming close to unseating Swapo in an election.

We know Venaani will not win but he could at least make a dent in the over 70% margins with which Swapo candidates have won the elections in the past. No one in his right mind would still vote for a 70-something candidate with Swapo baggage.



We need a vibrant opposition

Talking about the implausible. You know I’ve smoked some really good shit when I agree with the likes of Charles Siyauya who said, in an opinion piece in the government rag on Monday, that young people’s political careers are stifled in opposition parties and that leaders of these parties are too old to be of any use to the electorate. But the rest of his assertions about local politics are as far fetched and as delirious as Ester Paulus’ statements on the water flow at Windhoek Central Hospital. Namibia needs a one party state like New Era needs to publish another picture of Audrin Mathe.

I’m not sure pointing out to the Chihuahua that Elijah Ngurare is turning 43 this year will make any difference to his thinking. Did the Chihuahua owe someone confirmation that he is still a good obedient cadre? As you do...

We need opposition parties so most tribes could be represented in the decision making process as political parties are heavily tribally based. In a perfect world, opposition parties hold the government accountable, ask difficult questions, make alternative suggestions and try to stop the governing party from achieving a two-thirds majority to avoid the enactment of unjust laws.



The figures don’t lie

As much as the last elections were an unmitigated disaster and not much more than a street dog’s vomit, the figures don’t lie. And no, I’m not talking about Kilus and Utoni’s figures.

The total votes that all opposition parties won in four elections since 1994 are only 651 515 votes. Only about 30 000 votes more than Swapo got in the 2009 election alone. Read that shit again. No, you’re not drunk... yet.

That’s an average of 18 262 for the seven opposition parties in the 1994 election; 18 266 for the seven parties in 1999; 24 728 for the eight parties in 2004 and a scant 15 229 for each of the 13 parties that took part in the dodgy 2009 elections. Remember 900 millions...

This is in comparison to Swapo’s 1 993 163 votes in the four elections, an average of 498 290 votes for the governing party per election. No wonder Philemon Kanime struggled with the amount.

I hope they realise that they only eat into each others’ support and not that of Swapo.

Every election we are confronted with parties that could hardly fill a minibus or are as loud as an ant’s fart between elections, but during the elections they are all fired up and telling everyone willing to listen how they are going to upset the apple cart and how their presidential candidate will trounce the Swapo candidate. But the opposition’s energy levels are as long lasting and as effective as a FIFA lifetime ban.

If you still can’t believe the figures, you are not alone.

I found the root of this problem. Political parties only need to submit a declaration signed by 500 people when they register... If we require at least double the amount we would ask some parties to do some work before they register. The WRP scored a massive 952 votes in 1994 and its guise as the Communist Party scored a whopping 810 votes in 2009.

What are they doing between elections?

How are they capitalising on Swapo’s squables and its woeful service record? They are more obedient than Pohamba, Zuma, Dos Santos and Kikwete all together when being spoken down to by Robert Mugabe.

An example: Over the whole of last week, The Namibian ran stories on the effectiveness and outstanding leadership skills and sense of public service of Richard Kamwi and Andrew Ndishishi but not one opposition party raised their voice. Nothing! Maybe they’ll say something next week. Fast asleep!



Chip away

The Swapo government can screw over the people of this country so badly that we resemble an opponent of Harry Simon after six rounds but the opposition parties won’t say a thing, organise a protest or demand that heads roll.

Everything they do is ad hoc. They have not realised that their job is to chip away with consistent messages, better suggestions and to focus people’s attention on the fact that what we call a country today is in fact a pool of hot faeces.

What they should do is pull their powers together and fiercely contest local government elections. They should do the unthinkable and manage the councils that they clinch, so well that voters are convinced that they could be trusted with a bigger job.

But to ask opposition parties to work together is like expecting Robert Mugabe to take his SADC comrades seriously if they continue to say ja baas Bob everytime he kaks on them.

Send me an email if you want us to start a new party. Joseph Kauandenge could be our dear leader.

– rambler@namibian.com.na