‘A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats’

CITIZEN NAHAS ANGULA

THE TERM “a rising tide lifts all boats” was coined by an Irish politician, Sean Lemass. It was made popular by president John F Kennedy in the 1960s. The term is associated with the idea that an improved economy will benefit all participants and economic policy should therefore focus on broader economic efforts.

In recent years the term has come to highlight economic inequality and befits the current social and economic experience of contemporary Namibia.

Poverty levels are increasing. Youth unemployment is a social menace. Namibian society is increasingly being divided into ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’.

It was surprising to many in Swapo that information secretary Hilma Nicanor on 6 September 2021 told the media that “we didn’t fight apartheid to be poor”. She was apparently defending those in the party perceived by the public to be using their political connections to advance their economic interests. Her statement, however, painted a picture of a party captured by rentseeking individuals.

Many ordinary party members sacrificed life and limb for solidarity, freedom and justice. Solidarity means to take care of each other in the spirit of sharing. Freedom implies equal opportunity for all in order to restore their humanity. Social justice was to be extended especially to the poor and the marginalised.

The Swapo constitution clearly states that the party “is founded on the principles of democracy, solidarity, freedom and social justice”.

Among others, its objectives are “to foster a sense of common purpose and collective destiny among the Namibian people”, as well as to “fight underdevelopment, poverty, illiteracy and disease”. These are the noble objectives which guide members of the Swapo Party.

The collective destiny of all party members is to fight underdevelopment and to ensure that “…a rising tide lifts all boats”. Currently, a rising tide in Namibia is lifting some boats while other boats are running aground.

This was not the aim of fighting apartheid as implied by Nicanor or any other party leader who believes the purpose of the struggle against apartheid encompassed selfenrichment.

Servant leadership should be the core ideal of a Swapo leader.

Namibia’s Constitution is clear on how members of the executive are expected to conduct themselves. Article 42 states that members of the executive may not take up other paid employment or engage in activities inconsistent with their positions.

They should not expose themselves to any situation which carries with it the risk of a conflict between their interests as members of the executive and their private interests.

Further, they should not use information entrusted to them confidentially to enrich themselves or their families.

The ideals of Swapo as a liberation movement were to promote the broader public good. The current tendency of some leaders using their positions to promote own economic interests betrays the trust of the people. For this reason, there is a confidence deficit in the party leadership.

It is important for the broader party membership to start re-envisioning the original objectives of the party.

Raymond Suttner, writing in the Daily Maverick of 9 September 2021 on the ANC today, urged the ANC to develop a new vision. He wrote: “When speaking of apolitical vision one refers to understanding the condition in which a particular society needs to be addressed or remedied in order for all who live in that country to enjoy a better life”. He concluded: “It is up to those who do care about oppression that most South Africans still experience, to work for a new order, guided by an emancipatory vision.”

Namibia needs an “emancipatory vision” in order to provide equal opportunity for all. It is imperative for Swapo members to collectively define such an emancipatory vision.

The historical mission of Swapo is to ensure that the people of Namibia achieve total liberation from poverty, inequality, unemployment and underdevelopment. A rising tide should lift all boats, including the boat carrying the poor and the unemployed.

* Citizen Nahas Angula is a public educator. He served from 1980-82 as Swapo of Namibia’s secretary for information and publicity. He writes in his capacity as a citizen.

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