Who should be President?

A WEEK from now, some 584 people will gather in Windhoek to elect the future President of Namibia! The power to decide on a candidate to steer Namibia’s boat for the next five years lies in the hands of delegates taking part in next weekend’s extraordinary congress of the Swapo Party.

While the race between the three candidates – Nahas Angula, Hidipo Hamutenya and Hifikepunye Pohamba – has mainly been open, it has nonetheless been marked by dirty tactics in some ruling party quarters, most notably the character assassination of some individuals (Swapo Secretary General Ngarikutuke Tjiriange differs with me on this). To the task at hand.Those of us who have no say in the matter can only hope that delegates will first and foremost seriously consider the abilities, track record, qualities and the plans of each candidate for the country before casting their vote.After all, it is about Namibia.One senior party member recently told me that “Swapo is Namibia and Namibia is Swapo”.If something goes awry at the congress, the Namibian nation will have to live with the consequences.Tjiriange and others would argue that Swapo is mature and has always taken decisions in the interest of the country.However, the masses, including me, have a responsibility to try and ensure that whoever votes on our behalf does it with total care and consideration.Now, who is my candidate? Unfortunately, I cannot abuse my position at The Namibian to campaign for my personal choice.I do not want to be guilty of doing something of which I am accusing someone else.The President, on the other hand, has exercised his right to nominate someone and to campaign for that person.Unfortunately, fairly or unfairly, the way this has been done has created the impression in some minds that the President is running for a fourth term by proxy.Further, the extent and tactics employed have raised more than a few eyebrows, in part because some fear that it could reflect negatively on the record of the Father of the Nation.It is one thing to lobby for a person, it is another to try and undermine other candidates.You might say that I have already ruled out someone.No.I am only saying that we should be mindful of the tactics that we employ to push for one candidate over another.The race is not about personalities.It is about the future of Swapo and of Namibia.For my part, let us keep our eyes on the big picture and vote for someone who will keep us united, promote economic diplomacy and development, reduce the unemployment rate, better the education system and reduce HIV prevalence in Namibia.To the task at hand.Those of us who have no say in the matter can only hope that delegates will first and foremost seriously consider the abilities, track record, qualities and the plans of each candidate for the country before casting their vote.After all, it is about Namibia.One senior party member recently told me that “Swapo is Namibia and Namibia is Swapo”.If something goes awry at the congress, the Namibian nation will have to live with the consequences.Tjiriange and others would argue that Swapo is mature and has always taken decisions in the interest of the country.However, the masses, including me, have a responsibility to try and ensure that whoever votes on our behalf does it with total care and consideration.Now, who is my candidate? Unfortunately, I cannot abuse my position at The Namibian to campaign for my personal choice.I do not want to be guilty of doing something of which I am accusing someone else.The President, on the other hand, has exercised his right to nominate someone and to campaign for that person.Unfortunately, fairly or unfairly, the way this has been done has created the impression in some minds that the President is running for a fourth term by proxy.Further, the extent and tactics employed have raised more than a few eyebrows, in part because some fear that it could reflect negatively on the record of the Father of the Nation.It is one thing to lobby for a person, it is another to try and undermine other candidates.You might say that I have already ruled out someone.No.I am only saying that we should be mindful of the tactics that we employ to push for one candidate over another.The race is not about personalities.It is about the future of Swapo and of Namibia.For my part, let us keep our eyes on the big picture and vote for someone who will keep us united, promote economic diplomacy and development, reduce the unemployment rate, better the education system and reduce HIV prevalence in Namibia.