Better late than never. The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) is finally taking steps to address transparency in political funding.
ECN chair Elsie Nghikembua has been consulting political parties one-on-one to guide them and put them on notice that it is imperative they comply with the elections law.
It is no secret that people with money obtained clandestinely have been buying access to power, influencing laws and policies for their selfish interests.
It is not going to be easy for the ECN to regulate party funding in an environment that favours the incumbent government leaders, and where potential funders of newcomers worry about a backlash if they back the wrong horse.
Firmness, coupled with fairness aimed at levelling the playing field, should be the guiding light for how the ECN enforces electoral law measures on political funding.
If anything, the ECN must work tirelessly to ensure that the barrier to enter political power is not set by the amount of money a party or candidate can acquire.
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