What the ‘Alliance’ Should Do

By: Concerned Democrat

IN addition to what the editor said in her Political Perspective we would like to mention that the outcome of the Okahandja- by- election clearly testified to one fact: The Opposition-Parties-Alliance(OPA) got about 50% of the votes Swapo got. This is all one can realistically expect at this early point in time of co-operation and this is a much better image of the opposition than that of the November elections!

Moreover, this must even be valued good result if seen in connection with what the ECN told us, the public, a short while ago in trying to explain the unrealistically high voter participation figures in some regions during past national elections.
It would be rather helpful for the estabilishment of true democracy in Namibia to not call the OPA “a few opposition parties combined with the RDP” any longer but to use a more terse name, and one which will stick in the heads of the public.
Of course, this depends entirely on the decision of those parties who worked successfully together for the second time and we do not want to force this idea onto them.
However, the name is crucial because the OPA has to be seen as a strong, vital new entity and, at the same time, the parties within may not lose their own identity.
Remember, this was the first attempt to put one candidate forward together.  This process will get more refined with time and the results will improve tremendously, too.
It should encourage the rest of the opposition parties to join these six ‘voortrekker’-parties.
The parties do not have to ‘marry’ as they are working together for their own benefit and ours too. Is there any other way to strengthen the Namibian democracy as a whole, something that especially this country’s poor people urgently need for their surviva.
These people in need at least - if nobody else - will appreciate the exercise. They are the marjority! And... they are still hungry because ‘promises’ do not fill an empty stomach!
Even often repeated promises do not do that.
Voter apathy in our elections is a serious matter that is crippling true democracy.
It originates in the electorate’s ignorance in regard of the crucial role voting plays in any democracy and the poor understanding of many “that nothing I myself can do will ever change things to the better”. Do not make a mistake, going by the results of 20 years of Independence and state’s poor management results, also by the fact that more and more young people enter the voter community, something definitely will change.. at its own, African pace. The OPA will speed up this process and if nothing else, this will enhance the quality of our democracy and protect us from anarchy. The alliance seems to be highly aware that nothing but co-operation is the way to go from now on.
The opposition leaders’ past attitude to see in each other ‘The Opponent’ and ‘The Soft Target’ to win votes has had as result the present-day ailments of Namibia, this both politically and economically.
They have now seen and accepted this fact and reacted positively and pro-actively in our eyes and we urge them to stay ‘on track’!

Concerned Democrat
Via e-mail
Note: Name and address provided - Ed

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