Town twinnings tackle democracy and tolerance

PARTNERSHIPS between town councils and municipalities in Namibia and Finland are addressing topics around democracy and tolerance – an important theme during this election year.

Representatives of the Keetmanshoop and Ondangwa town councils recently attended the European Development Days 2008 in Strasbourg, France, where they signed agreements to strengthen their co-operation with the Finnish municipalities of Kangasala and Lempaala respectively. All ACP and EU countries attended the three-day event.
Through their twinning agreements, Lempaala-Ondangwa and Kangasala-Keetmanshoop have since 2005 been partnering on development initiatives, with the project plan being financed by the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
Thus far, the achievements of the project include unique in-depth surveys of the SME sector of Ondangwa and Keetmanshoop, situational analyses of municipal water services and systems, an analysis of storm-water management for the improvement of existing systems in Ondangwa, and analyses of and further planning for solid waste management systems.
Situational analyses of public health systems in the towns have also been conducted, with some local abattoirs having been inspected by EU-qualified professionals, with further recommendations for development having been made.
The local authorities now face the new challenge of promoting democracy and tolerance – an especially topical theme given the political activity expected in Namibia for 2009.
While the project does not have election-specific themes, however, Timo Palander, Development Director for the Lempaala Municipality says that ‘all the Finnish and Namibian partners have a mutual interest to make further research and promotion related to democracy and tolerance, as a special prerequisite of socio-economic development’.
Reflecting on some of the political behaviour witnessed last year between parties, Palander says that ‘mutual respect, political tolerance and equal opportunities have been challenged in a process where political parties are born after the history of a bitter independence struggle which united society.’
Palander also expressed hopes that the piloting efforts for the democracy and tolerance project with the Ondangwa and Keetmanshoop town councils will be utilised in other local authorities in Namibia.
Speaking at the Development Days event in Strasbourg, Theresia Samaria, Namibia’s ambassador to the Nordic countries, emphasised the need to ensure that in promoting democracy and tolerance in Namibia, Namibian perspectives and concepts are used.
‘Democracy cannot be ‘imported’. Local authorities and leaders are closest to the citizens. We must discuss the meaning and definition of good governance, tolerance and democracy with local residents,’ she said.
At the event, where the municipality twins, Lempaala-Ondangwa and Kangasala-Keetmanshoop also participated in a panel discussion on Local Governance, Participation and Empowerment of Citizens, Samaria outlined plans to continue to promote the theme of democracy and tolerance among councillors at an upcoming ALAN conference, where narrative methodology, research and translation will play an important role.
Martin Elago, CEO of the Ondangwa town council, added that ‘a democratic and tolerant atmosphere is a prerequisite for development and reciprocal responsibility. Only then do citizens have the courage to demand that a locally elected decision maker will look after their interests.’
The municipalities of Lempaala and Kangasala have also benefited from the co-operation with their Ondangwa and Keetmanshoop partners, with the residents of the Finnish cities being challenged to think about the level of local democracy and historical development in their own municipalities.
The project has engaged the Ministry of Regional and Local Government and Housing in preparing overall project objectives, the Polytechnic of Namibia in surveys of local economic development and water services in co-operation with Finnish Polytechnics, and the Association of Local Authorities in Namibia (ALAN) for wider dialogue on local democracy.
The Council of Churches in Namibia (CCN) has also been a partner in the process in planning for democracy, ethics of politics and administration, and promoting tolerance.