CoD impasse is a bad showcase for opposition politics in Namibia

POLITICAL parties are important as they not only recruit and nominate candidates for elective office, but they also mobilise electoral support and form governments.

Additionally, they structure choices among competing groups and these along different issue dimensions. Whilst very few parties in Namibia structure and debate issues that Namibians face in a coherent manner, they no doubt play an important role in integrating Namibians into the nation state and its political process.Political parties can play an important educational role when issues are debated and contested meaningfully for the public to make informed choices based on what they assume to be better interests’ articulation by this or that political party.Despite this obvious failure, Namibians have accepted that governance cannot take place outside the system of political parties.But for a system of political parties to be effectively consolidated, opposition politics through political parties remains one of the core institutions in a democracy.The point being emphasised her is that such consolidation can only take place when the opposition is solid, organised and purposeful.Alas, the lifeline of our democracy is now the independent media and civil society because the opposition is in a sorry state with leaders being content with visits to State House and reducing the existence of the opposition to statements in parliament.Essentially, most of these leaders are prudentially managing their retirement.Therefore, for democracy watchers the unhappy spectacle we have been witnessing in the Congress of Democrats for the past few months does not bode well for democratic competition in the country.Whilst I admit that such a spectacle could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the internal political and democratic process within CoD, the consequences thereof for the broader image of CoD and democratic competition could be important.In that regard, certain home truths about this political party deserve mention.CoD came into being and presented itself as an alternative to Swapo given its advocacy for a much more robust and open democratic discussion around politics in this country, notably the third term and the Swapo detainees issue.In essence, CoD saw itself as a more open and modern democratic movement.Certainly, this drove the euphoria around CoD’s formation, in addition to the country needing at the time a credible opposition party.So, CoD was a welcome addition to our political process.Admittedly, it also came at a crucial time in our democratic development as a state.Generally, it is a political party that got a good reception and articulated the issues around the third term pretty well, maybe not the detainee issue.But somehow CoD didn’t capitalise on the general reception it received and got stuck in a rudimentary stage.Evidently, CoD can’t build its tactical advantage around being a catch-all party for the general message about democracy is not necessarily one that resonates with rural illiterate voters.In general, in developing countries, it takes crises of proportions for rural uneducated voters to shift their electoral allegiances.Thus, even if and when CoD realised that it would not be what Swapo is, it never managed to assume any ideological or intellectual hegemony on the electoral issues we face as Namibians.It has never bothered to cut a niche for itself, yet it was presented with that niche.It never sought to build itself consistently and campaign around any key issue facing Namibians.Since it was founded out of largely disenchanted Swapo leaders and members, it came to be seen implicitly as an anti-Swapo political party, without entrenching itself as a solid alternative to Swapo.This in turn would have affected its capacity to become a mass-based political party.Political parties can only be counted if they are relevant and this depends on their coalition potential and their ability to affect other parties and the system as a whole.CoD does not have the ethnic leverage that Nudo, the DTA or Swapo might have in effecting electoral outcomes.Yet, CoD had an opportunity to sell itself in the form of a broader coalition since it is untainted by the negative historical legacy that DTA, MAG or Nudo might have.In fact, CoD should have branded itself, both from a tactical point of view as a political party that would rehabilitate opposition politics in Namibia instead of being a party out to eat Swapo from within.With hindsight, the strategy should have been or could be one of annihilating existing opposition parties, which today mostly coalesce around tribal and racial concerns and votes.Yet, it is a route that it never pursued with urgency and with a long-term view, even if it meant certain sacrifices.It chose to operate as a loose coalition with no substantive message or ideology other than it’s thinking that Swapo was genuinely undemocratic or is mismanaging the country.Certainly in membership, organisation, and popular involvement and commitment, CoD is not what it hoped to be.It could be considered a party in decline based on the seats gathered at the last elections.The current deadlock does not aid the consolidation of the CoD political brand and does attest to the fact that CoD is organisationally not ready to govern.Thus, the better CoD get out of its current impasse, the better it will be for itself and the future of opposition politics in this country.Alfredo Tjiurimo Hengari is a PhD fellow in political science at the University of Paris- Panthéon Sorbonne, France.Whilst very few parties in Namibia structure and debate issues that Namibians face in a coherent manner, they no doubt play an important role in integrating Namibians into the nation state and its political process.Political parties can play an important educational role when issues are debated and contested meaningfully for the public to make informed choices based on what they assume to be better interests’ articulation by this or that political party.Despite this obvious failure, Namibians have accepted that governance cannot take place outside the system of political parties.But for a system of political parties to be effectively consolidated, opposition politics through political parties remains one of the core institutions in a democracy.The point being emphasised her is that such consolidation can only take place when the opposition is solid, organised and purposeful.Alas, the lifeline of our democracy is now the independent media and civil society because the opposition is in a sorry state with leaders being content with visits to State House and reducing the existence of the opposition to statements in parliament.Essentially, most of these leaders are prudentially managing their retirement.Therefore, for democracy watchers the unhappy spectacle we have been witnessing in the Congress of Democrats for the past few months does not bode well for democratic competition in the country.Whilst I admit that such a spectacle could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the internal political and democratic process within CoD, the consequences thereof for the broader image of CoD and democratic competition could be important.In that regard, certain home truths about this political party deserve mention.CoD came into being and presented itself as an alternative to Swapo given its advocacy for a much more robust and open democratic discussion around politics in this country, notably the third term and the Swapo detainees issue.In essence, CoD saw itself as a more open and modern democratic movement.Certainly, this drove the euphoria around CoD’s formation, in addition to the country needing at the time a credible opposition party.So, CoD was a welcome addition to our political process.Admittedly, it also came at a crucial time in our democratic development as a state.Generally, it is a political party that got a good reception and articulated the issues around the third term pretty well, maybe not the detainee issue.But somehow CoD didn’t capitalise on the general reception it received and got stuck in a rudimentary stage.Evidently, CoD can’t build its tactical advantage around being a catch-all party for the general message about democracy is not necessarily one that resonates with rural illiterate voters.In general, in developing countries, it takes crises of proportions for rural uneducated voters to shift their electoral allegiances.Thus, even if and when CoD realised that it would not be what Swapo is, it never managed to assume any ideological or intellectual hegemony on the electoral issues we face as Namibians.It has never bothered to cut a niche for itself, yet it was presented with that niche.It never sought to build itself consistently and campaign around any key issue facing Namibians.Since it was founded out of largely disenchanted Swapo leaders and members, it came to be seen implicitly as an anti-Swapo political party, without entrenching itself as a solid alternative to Swapo.This in turn would have affected its capacity to become a mass-based political party.Political parties can only be counted if they are relevant and this depends on their coalition potential and their ability to affect other parties and the system as a whole.CoD does not have the ethnic leverage that Nudo, the DTA or Swapo might have in effecting electoral outcomes.Yet, CoD had an opportunity to sell itself in the form of a broader coalition since it is untainted by the negative historical legacy that DTA, MAG or Nudo might have.In fact, CoD should have branded itself, both from a tactical point of view as a political party that would rehabilitate opposition politics in Namibia instead of being a party out to eat Swapo from within.With hindsight, the strategy should have been or could be one of annihilating existing opposition parties, which today mostly coalesce around tribal and racial concerns and votes.Yet, it is a route that it never pursued with urgency and with a long-term view, even if it meant certain sacrifices.It chose to operate as a loose coalition with no substantive message or ideology other than it’s thinking that Swapo was genuinely undemocratic or is mismanaging the country.Certainly in membership, organisation, and popular involvement and commitment, CoD is not what it hoped to be. It could be considered a party in decline based on the seats gathered at the last elections.The current deadlock does not aid the consolidation of the CoD political brand and does attest to the fact that CoD is organisationally not ready to govern.Thus, the better CoD get out of its current impasse, the better it will be for itself and the future of opposition politics in this country.Alfredo Tjiurimo Hengari is a PhD fellow in political science at the University of Paris- Panthéon Sorbonne, France.