Swapo’s Role in a Free and Fair Namibia

According to the Electoral Commission of Namibia, we have 19 registered political parties.

Credited with ending colonial rule, Swapo continues to enjoy its unique position as Namibia’s most enduring political party.

Having transformed from a liberation movement into a political party, it has been electorally dominant.

Namibia’s first free and fair elections saw 701 483 out of 1,5 million Namibians go to the polls. The majority, 57.3% to be precise, voted for Swapo.

The country’s appetite for self-governance and freedom from imperialism was bubbling to the surface.

Faced with the immense task of creating a new constitutional framework, Swapo has undoubtedly been the primary site upon which our nation has consolidated a functional democracy.

Against this background, I assert that the party’s credibility is, in large part, derived from its liberation of Namibia from colonial rule.

Swapo has undergone countless transitions. One of the most significant ones has been the ideological shift from single-party socialism after the demise of the communist Eastern bloc, to an alignment with Western democratic ideals of a multi-party, pluralist political environment.

Despite the practical and ideological shifts that have characterised the party’s lifespan, it has – up until now – remained a durable political institution accompanied by trademark manifestations of the electoral process and rule of law.

RAISING THE BAR

Swapo’s endurance is not surprising. This is the party that nourished the country from the collective psychosocial trauma Namibians endured under colonialism.

Nursing a country back to positive self-definition, thereby reaffirming national dignity, is not child’s play.

The instrumental role Swapo has played in the social, political and economic reconstruction of a post-conflict society should not be understated.

I do not offer this background as blind and naive uncritical adoration of Swapo’s significance to the social fabric of our country.

Rather, I want to illustrate the standard of operational excellence by which we ought to hold the party accountable to this day.

Past accomplishments, while notable, should serve only as a reference point by which the party can and should do better by Namibians.

Likewise, “we fought for this country” is no longer a sufficient response to young Namibians who demand efficient public goods as owed to them.

Institutions, including political parties, derive greatness and durability from consistent, deliberate and sustained improvements in the quality of their performance.

Therefore, it is imperative that Swapo continues to be sensitive to the national temperament of modern-day Namibia.

This is not easy, but it is of existential importance that we continue to candidly evaluate Swapo’s shortcomings without taking those insights to be dismissive of the party’s role in the country’s liberation.

NEW PHASE

Swapo and, by extension, the country, ushers in a new era of leadership with the party’s congress this month.

The leadership to be elected by the party faces the challenge of balancing Swapo’s constituent, liberatory roots with a renewed, intentional dedication to improvement.

The time has come to be deliberate about building a political environment not characterised by war and political instability.

In other words, Swapo now bears the existential burden of proof to demonstrate the role of a liberation movement in a liberated democracy.

It was an expression of legitimate distress by a nation that enjoys political freedom in the absence of economic freedom.

As of now, Swapo is the most credible political party with the proven durability to safeguard and continuously improve the state of Namibia.

If nothing else, Michael Amushelelo’s public resignation from activism proves that nation-building is no easy feat. Swapo is all we have.

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