Govt overloaded with committees – analysts

The government is overloaded with roles and committees, which has led to the duplication of work and delays in service delivery.

This is according to political analyst Rui Tyitende.

He was commenting on the ruling party’s latest announcement of its think tank.

The concept of the think tank was established in 2007 to serve as the party’s research and policy advisory body.

“We have a plethora of committees, advisers, executive directors and special advisers. We basically have a bloated structure of people who don’t know what they are supposed to be doing,” he says.

The appointment of the Swapo think tank comes a month after president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah appointed presidential task forces aimed at driving priority activities such as economic recovery, health, and land and housing.

Tyitende questions the value of such structures, arguing that ministries and agencies already have officials being paid to do similar work.

“This is just another way of passing the buck. No one wants to take responsibility or accountability. It’s as simple as that,” he says.

Swapo deputy secretary general Uahekua Herunga, however, explains that the task force or committee appointed by the president is there to implement the party’s manifesto, while the think tank supports the party to ensure its manifesto is carried out.

“These are two different entities or bodies. One works for the state, and the other works for the party.

The think tank is there to come up with solutions or plans which the politburo and central committee must approve,” he says.

Some of the notable think tank members are City of Windhoek chief executive Moses Matyayi, Namibia Airports Company chief executive Bisey Uirab, Epangelo Mining Company chief executive Eliphas Hawala, Namibia Institute of Pathology’s Kapena Tjombonde, economist Mally Likukela, Economic Association of Namibia chairperson Jason Kasuto, Ministry of Health and Social Services deputy executive director Theo-Ben Kandetu, former health minister Kalumbi Shangula and Welwitschia Integrated Services chief executive Eddie Kafita.

Other members include artist Lazarus Shiimi, known as Gazza, involved in youth empowerment and national services, as well as youth advocate and chair of the Swapo advocacy and planning committee Klaivert Mwandingi.

The think tank also includes Namibia University of Science and Technology acting vice chancellor Andrew Niikondo, National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia business strategy executive Shiwana Ndeunyema, Government Institutions Pension Fund general manager for investment Immanuel Kadhila, and Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations head of the directorate of law reform Mathias Kashindi.

The list includes 37 members appointed across clusters such as health, housing, land, the economy and youth.
Tyitende says there is “nothing new” to expect from the Swapo think tank.

“Nothing will come from the Swapo think tank except when it comes to the formulation of the party’s manifesto,” he says.

Political analysts Ndumba Kamwanyah and Henning Melber describe the think tank appointments as leaning towards loyalty to party leadership rather than independence.

“A proper think tank is not just a group of people with titles. It is made up of independent, credible individuals with strong research, policy and analytical skills.

Looking at this list, one struggles to see how such independence or intellectual rigor will be achieved.

It risks becoming a gathering of loyalists rather than thinkers,” says Kamwanyah.

He adds that the think tank’s work ought to be evidence-based, critical and sometimes uncomfortable for those in power.

Kamwanyah says Swapo has the habit of borrowing fashionable concepts without thinking whether they fit its political culture or if it will work.

“The idea of a think tank sounds good on paper, but in reality, previous similar initiatives have produced no meaningful outcomes.

There is little reason to believe this one will be any different. This raises a more serious question: what is this think tank expected to think about, and for whose benefit,” he says.

Asked how the think tank differs from presidential task forces, Kamwanyah says both “lack clear mandates, timelines and accountability”, and both depend on political approval to function.

“The real issue is that Swapo and the government continue to create bodies without addressing the deeper problems of policy failure, lack of internal debate and fear of critical voices,” he says.

Melber has expressed concerns about loyalty shaping the agenda.

“If a narrow-minded loyalty to those in the party leadership is the guiding principle, with a mandate to consolidate their agenda, the true meaning and relevance of a think tank is betrayed,” he says.

He questions the think tank’s track record, asking when it had initiated “new thinking out of the box” that would add value to the party’s strategy.

“Instead, it has over and over again produced stereotypes, if it has produced anything at all.

There is hardly any visibility, nor has it added any meaningful perspectives to a public discourse,” says Melber.

Political analyst Dobson Kwala defends the role of a think tank, saying it can help the party and government reassess decisions and plans.

“The think tank matters because it involves experts and skilled personnel to focus on planning important programmes that should align with the Swapo manifesto,” he says.

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