Political Perspective

THE run-up to the Okahandja by-elections shows that parties either don’t always know what they’re doing when they select candidates, or that they’re selecting them for the wrong reasons. I believe it also shows that certain political parties, and thereby their leadership, tend to elevate themselves about the people, and don’t do enough grassroots campaigning to know what’s happening on the ground in their constituencies.

THE Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), backed by the All People’s Party (APP), the National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo) and the Republican Party, have chosen former Swapo member Christophine Paulus as their joint candidate.The DTA said they don’t want to contest the seat because of lack of faith in the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN), but some observers say they’re being diplomatic and that their reason has more to do with the fact that they don’t approve of the ‘coalition’s’ choice of candidate.Swapo has chosen a Swapo Party Youth League activist, Steve Booys, but in the process they’ve alienated another Swapo member, Ben Katamila, who is apparently the favourite of Party members in that constituency. It has now been announced that Katamila will contest the seat as an ‘independent’ since the Swapo leadership opted for Booys and have already threatened to evict Katamila from the party as a result of his stance.This is again indicative of how political parties tend to ‘mess up’, and how top-down leadership, or authoritarianism, is often at odds with what the rank and file party members may want.Perhaps the RDP are just too eager to take on those who’ve left the Swapo fold, and may be hoping that the name alone, and Paulus’s former post as Mayor of that town may guarantee a win! But they do really need to look at the previous records of those they promote. And it seems that they, rather than acting in concert with their allies on the choice, took the decision on Paulus and expected other parties to rubber-stamp their selection. The DTA, it appears, wasn’t up for this.While parties have until today to nominate candidates, it looks at this stage as if it will be a three-cornered contest between Swapo, the RDP alliance and an independent.Both the ruling party and its major opposition may just find themselves with egg on their faces if the independent, Katamila, indeed turns out to be the choice of the people of Okahandja. This will be proof that on the one hand, Swapo has ignored the wishes of their constituencies on the ground by choosing Booys over Katamila; and that the RDP has simply taken Swapo’s leftovers without really scrutinising who the best man or women for the job would be. This all points to arrogance on the part of the two major parties who both talk a lot about democracy, but are not necessarily practising it!Paulus was a controversial Mayor, and back in 2004 I recall the media writing about concerns with her convening management and town council meetings in contravention of the Local Authorities Act when this was the prerogative of the CEO of the town. It was also alleged that she contravened Government orders that no councillors be paid sitting fees until their debts to the Municipality had had been paid. There was also the infamous ‘lockout’ incident.Perhaps the RDP would do better to field new candidates with solid backgrounds as well as skills and competencies, rather than simply to believe they can win the election by showing off former Swapo members who’ve defected to their side.Swapo too, appear to have (once again) ignored the wishes of townspeople by pushing aside Katamila and instead putting forward a Youth League activist. I can’t claim to know much about him except whose son he is and the fact that he’s a SPYL mobiliser. Katamila claims to stand for ‘honesty and transparency’ and doesn’t like the way Swapo leadership have made their choice against the wishes of the people of the town, so will stand as an independent candidate unless Swapo changes its mind.Perhaps the selections of the various parties won’t reflect in the by-election outcome, but sooner or later people are going to wake up to the fact that political party leadership tend towards the arrogance of power and don’t take their views into account. Who knows when the time will come when ‘independents’, who are disappointed in the ruling party and can’t make the transition to one of the existing opposition groups, will start to come into their own in elections!