Politics and Business Shouldn’t Mix

Political Parties Should be barred from participating in government-initiated business processes, particularly those involving tenders for the supply of goods and services to the state.

This view stems from a case in which Swapo had reportedly been linked to the Namibian Ports Authority’s N$3-billion oil project.

Similar examples exist where political parties have been directly engaged in commercial initiatives.

The concern lies in the difficulty of implementing effective governance and leadership when political parties are also commercial competitors in government procurement processes.

Their involvement inherently compromises the integrity of the tender process, creating space for bias, favouritism, and price inflation to maximise benefits to politically linked beneficiaries.

This compromises public trust and undermines the rule of law (World Bank, 1992; OECD, 2009).

While Namibia’s Constitution provides for the right to conduct business under a free market system,
the participation of political parties in state-funded projects contradicts principles of fairness and accountability.

Article 18 of Namibia’s Constitution stresses that public administration must be fair, reasonable, and free of bias, while Article 40 mandates the Cabinet to ensure transparent resource management.

Allowing political parties to compete for state contracts directly challenges these provisions.

By their very existence, political parties bear the responsibility of ensuring the prosperity, security, and well-being of citizens. Their role is to provide oversight of state resources, uphold legal and governance frameworks, and promote transparency and accountability (African Union, 2007).

Engaging in commercial processes financed by taxpayers, while exercising oversight over resources creates a clear conflict of interest.

As Transparency International (2021) notes, when political actors are allowed to profit from public procurement, the line between governance and private gain is blurred, fuelling corruption and weakening democracy.

This raises the central question: How can political parties simultaneously act as custodians of governance and profit from the very resources they are tasked to safeguard?
There is indeed a thin but crucial line. Once acknowledged, political parties must refrain from participating in state-funded tenders.

Their focus should remain on ensuring the prosperity of the nation through advocacy, policy guidance, and governance, not profit-making ventures tied to taxpayers’ money.

This position is not about barring political parties from doing business altogether.

They are free to operate profit-making enterprises funded through their own resources.

However, they should not be allowed to directly or indirectly benefit from government contracts, as this undermines both governance integrity and the public’s trust.
– Albert Tjaronda

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