CoD leadership posts up for grabs

THE youngest parliamentary party begins its third congress meeting today showing signs of beginning to engage in realpolitik compared to when it was launched five years ago.

More than 400 delegates of the Congress of Democrats (CoD) are to elect new party leaders and all top positions appear to be up for grabs with no one spared. Five and three years ago the CoD’s founding president, Ben Ulenga, was the obvious choice with hardly a challenge.This time Ulenga will have to compete with the party’s Secretary General, Ignatius Shixwameni, and National Chairperson Nora Schimming-Chase, if they accept their nominations by several regions.Similarly, several people have been nominated to contest the positions of vice-president, secretary general, national chairperson and treasurer general.Another election highlight will be the list of people the CoD will put up as its candidates for the National Assembly elections in November.The party has carved Namibia into 15 regions.Each region has chosen three people for the 72-member parliamentary list.The Young Democrats, CoD’s youth wing, as well the Women Democrats will add four names each.The list will be completed with the nomination of 19 people preferred by the National Executive Committee (NEC), the party’s highest decision-making body after congress.But the biggest and most contentious task will be the ranking of the people on the list.Shixwameni said the congress will still have to discuss the arrangement of the list.This ranking of the list is both crucial and contentious because candidates are sent to parliament from the top of the list down, and, depending on how many seats they win at the election, this determines who amongst the candidates from the top of the list make it.Shixwameni, who said the party was still in its infancy, was confident the CoD will improve on the 10 percent of the 1999 National Assembly elections, despite having polled the same percentage in the municipal elections in May.”Five years ago we had nine percent, now we got 10 percent and remember that this is only in towns,” said Shixwameni.CoD parliamentarian Tsudao Gurirab, who also described his party as being an infant, said they would have to improve on being “10 per cent party” in the upcoming elections.He pointed out that his party lost votes in areas such as Rehoboth but was gaining support in the former Owambo.Gurirab said the congress meeting this weekend appears better organised than previously but that the quality of the debate will determine how strong the political programmes will be.Apart from administrative matters, the CoD is expected to finalise and, perhaps, unveil its election manifesto.Shixwameni said the party could only do better if it got more funding.But he said he was satisfied with the performance at the local authority elections despite having spent only N$100 000.”We should have more money this time.People should put their money where their mouths are if we want democracy.They have to put their money on the CoD because betting on any other horse is betting wrongly.Without money you cannot expect [CoD] to perform wonders,” said Shixwameni.The congress is being held at a lodge outside Windhoek over the entire weekend.Five and three years ago the CoD’s founding president, Ben Ulenga, was the obvious choice with hardly a challenge.This time Ulenga will have to compete with the party’s Secretary General, Ignatius Shixwameni, and National Chairperson Nora Schimming-Chase, if they accept their nominations by several regions.Similarly, several people have been nominated to contest the positions of vice-president, secretary general, national chairperson and treasurer general.Another election highlight will be the list of people the CoD will put up as its candidates for the National Assembly elections in November.The party has carved Namibia into 15 regions.Each region has chosen three people for the 72-member parliamentary list.The Young Democrats, CoD’s youth wing, as well the Women Democrats will add four names each.The list will be completed with the nomination of 19 people preferred by the National Executive Committee (NEC), the party’s highest decision-making body after congress.But the biggest and most contentious task will be the ranking of the people on the list.Shixwameni said the congress will still have to discuss the arrangement of the list.This ranking of the list is both crucial and contentious because candidates are sent to parliament from the top of the list down, and, depending on how many seats they win at the election, this determines who amongst the candidates from the top of the list make it.Shixwameni, who said the party was still in its infancy, was confident the CoD will improve on the 10 percent of the 1999 National Assembly elections, despite having polled the same percentage in the municipal elections in May.”Five years ago we had nine percent, now we got 10 percent and remember that this is only in towns,” said Shixwameni.CoD parliamentarian Tsudao Gurirab, who also described his party as being an infant, said they would have to improve on being “10 per cent party” in the upcoming elections.He pointed out that his party lost votes in areas such as Rehoboth but was gaining support in the former Owambo.Gurirab said the congress meeting this weekend appears better organised than previously but that the quality of the debate will determine how strong the political programmes will be.Apart from administrative matters, the CoD is expected to finalise and, perhaps, unveil its election manifesto.Shixwameni said the party could only do better if it got more funding.But he said he was satisfied with the performance at the local authority elections despite having spent only N$100 000.”We should have more money this time.People should put their money where their mouths are if we want democracy.They have to put their money on the CoD because betting on any other horse is betting wrongly.Without money you cannot expect [CoD] to perform wonders,” said Shixwameni.The congress is being held at a lodge outside Windhoek over the entire weekend.