APP condemns Swapo’s ‘foreign’ election donation

THE All People’s Party (APP) has condemned ’emerging political interference’ by some foreign business entities in the light of the upcoming Presidential and National Assembly election.

This follows a donation by a Pakistani-owned business to the Swapo election campaign.’The so-called donations by the Pakistani business community in Eenhana to the Swapo Party are a direct interference in the internal political activities of our peaceful country that deserves condemnation from all corners of the country,’ APP leader Ignatius Shixwameni said yesterday.He was reacting to news that a company owned by Pakistani nationals at Oshikango had donated propaganda material worth N$2,5 million to Swapo on Monday.’Swapo Party has forever been accusing other political parties of receiving donations from foreign donors which could not be proved. We know such a move by the Pakistani business community is to solicit support for their business activities from the ruling party, hence create despair and uncertainty within the foreign business community to the extent of direct involvement in Namibia’s political environment,’ Shixwameni said.While not entirely disputing business sponsorship, he urged the foreign business community to do so in consideration of all political parties to create a level playing field and not be impartial in their conduct of insuring credible and realistic elections. ‘It is incomprehensible for Pakistani business community hailing from a region unstable as theirs to poke their noses into a stable and peaceful political atmosphere as Namibia for reasons only known to them,’ he said.Shixwameni said the APP wants ‘balanced, free, fair and credible’ elections from which foreign business community should stay out or not align themselves with a specific political party.