THE People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) and Namibia Democratic Party (NDP) yesterday entered into a two-year marriage of convenience in a clear attempt to emerge from political obscurity.
This is despite both parties’ leaders claiming that their membership numbers are growing by leaps and bounds, and could possibly even surpass the membership of parties now in Parliament. NDP president Martin Lukato Lukato claimed that his party has a membership of between 30 000 and 40 000. One of PDM president Joseph Kauandenge’s right-hand men, party deputy secretary general Verinao Kamahene, said their party now has a membership of around 8 000, which is growing with ongoing recruitment drives.Kauandenge said the PDM had submitted an application for registration to the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) two weeks ago, but the application has not yet been approved. He had previously told The Namibian that the ECN had advised the party to secure a wider penetration in all 13 regions of the country before its registration would be considered. He then said the party was on the verge of recruiting members in at least eight regions. Kauandenge and Lukato signed a memorandum of understanding which will remain in place until August 2014 with an option of an extension to the National Assembly election later that year. The ultimate aim of the working relationship is to see if the two parties can field candidates jointly for the 2014 general election. In fact, Kauandenge said the parties are considering fielding only one parliamentary list, but it is not yet clear under which party’s name this list will be entered. The NDP got only 1 187 votes in the last National Assembly election. Both leaders said the agreement is purely a working relationship between the two marginal parties, and not a merging of the two. Each party is to maintain its independence and no interference in the internal workings of the other is foreseen. The working relationship envisages that the two parties assist each other to get their structures on the ground reorganised. ‘It is time,’ declared Kauandenge, saying the status of opposition parties in Namibia trying to do it alone will forever remain fragile and precarious. ‘It is logical to bring votes together to secure parliamentary representation.’ Kauandenge said the biggest challenge of opposition parties is the ‘politics of personalities’, and urged for a united opposition party front. ‘As a new upcoming political party led by young people, maybe there is a need to re-strategise to provide a better style of leadership,’ said Kauandenge ‘I have known Joseph Kauandenge as a youth leader and popular among the people. I am happy to work with a talented person like him. He is now our partner in politics,’ said Lukato. Lukato claimed that four political parties had already approached the NDP to join them in a strategic working alliance. He would, however, not disclose the names of the parties, saying that there were no firm commitments in place yet.
