Political Perspective

IT WAS the Minister of Safety and Security and Swapo Deputy Secretary General, Nangolo Mbumba, who said that ‘to push the country forward is like starting a locomotive’.

He was saying it in reference to the slow implementation of Tipeeg (The government’s three-year Targeted Intervention Programme for Employment and Economic Growth job-creation scheme), apparently due to what he further referred to as a ‘lack of technical skills’. He is right. But more to the point: what is our ruling party going to do about it because these comments lie at the root of what is wrong with our country.GLAD as I was to see Minister Mbumba say this, I again became disillusioned and less than optimistic when he added that discussions at the recent Central Committee meeting had been underpinned by President Hifikepunye Pohamba’s call to all to ‘stick to the party’s stated ideals of fighting tribalism, ethnicity, nepotism, racism, sexism, chauvinism, regionalism, personality cult and the like’. And I thought ‘here we go again’. Directionless and meaningless ‘rhetoric about ‘isms’ which the party haven’t even vaguely tried to eradicate in the past 22 years. In fact they’ve fuelled many of these evils.Instead the focus should be on how we can move the country forward one step at a time. But I seriously doubt that the current crop of leadership has what it takes to do that.Since this is the time that Swapo is gearing up for its congress scheduled to take place from November 29 to December 2 there’s talk of ‘clear directives’ and a sense of purpose. There certainly should be.There is a prevalent mood of disillusionment in the country, in case the ruling party hasn’t noticed. It might have to do with some of the ‘isms’ that President Pohamba has mentioned, but the central problem is that we have no clear plan on how to get us out of the proverbial doldrums.And we do need someone who can provide that direction, rather than keep mumbling about peripheral issues.The message must hit home to the ruling party, that this is the time for action, and of a nationally affirmative kind. Swapo cannot deny the people of this country, even non-Swapo members, the right to have a say in what we need to do and how, and who needs to do it.The few ‘favoured’ candidates for the Presidency are probably not going to do the trick, whichever one of them gets the final nod. If Swapo cares about the country at all, then it needs to break with its tired old traditions of choosing candidates from the inner circle of the old guard and look to people with more vision and less ties that bind!Perhaps people like President Pohamba genuinely don’t like the corruption that is happening on an increasing scale in this country, but like it or not, he is unable to take action, mostly because of the incestuous nature of our political hierarchy. Issues like the Chinese scholarships to children of the ruling class, including the President’s off-spring, have made the youth a lot more bitter than the ruling party may realise, and is contributing to further estrangement and a lack of belief in promises that things will change.The same applies to those who are in line for the candidacy. They are too close to the heart of the problem to get enough personal distance to know what needs to be done, and do it.Whichever one of those candidates finally make it, I have no great hopes of Namibia becoming a success story. I simply doubt they have what it takes.At the risk of being accused of ‘interfering’ in the internal affairs of Swapo, but because this is something which affects the nation as a whole and not just party cadres, I have a suggestion. The ruling party should find within themselves a new maturity to look outside the ‘political old guard’ for a solution to the leadership crisis, for it is one. They should be looking to the likes of a Tom Alweendo, or someone with similar skills and integrity, to take the helm of leadership and to run the country as a business to get us on our feet and in the direction of prosperity and progress.Decisive leadership and a firm hand on corruption and wheeler-dealing which is becoming so prolific, would already ensure the savings of millions of dollars which could be better used to train and empower our youth and workforce in general in areas far more necessary than those currently identified by the ruling elite.If Swapo fail to heed the warnings they themselves have expressed (Minister Mbumba most recently) and they opt for another tired and compromised candidate, then Namibia will face more of the same lethargy and lack of movement in the years to come.Follow me on Twitter @GwenLister1