Swapo shooting down adversary hopes

AS the clock ticks inexorably towards the 27 November 2019 polls, massive turnout at Swapo rallies at Oshakati and Rundu over the past week have separated the chaff from the grain giving President Hage Geingob impetus for a guaranteed victory.

With perceived uncertainties of where loyalties in the party lay having been extinguished, hopes by opposing and tribalistic forces within the party that Geingob may suffer shock defeat have now been clearly exposed as imaginary desires.

Without doubt, the party has once again begun to show that its 59 year legacy of radical transformation, progressive growth and prosperity is one that the people still look to for Namibia’s future. While the question of trust is key, the electorate now understands that it has to do with the integrity of the next president, coupled with capabilities, credibility, perception, and various forms of capital to effectively lead Namibia into a prosperous country in the next five years. This can only be fully grasped with much more than that which can be quantified or explained rationally. It requires a leap of faith, with a firm grip on problems that beset the country, the region, the global political economy — and a deep well of power to beat the resistance to progressive change, something detractors do not understand fully.

Over the years, Swapo has been able to demonstrate that it is not power hungry but considers the electorate over the gains of leadership. Affirming this solidity has been the compelling unity between individual Swapo leaders in which founding father Dr Sam Nujoma, former President, Hifikepunye Pohamba  and incumbent President, Dr Hage Geingob’s exploits in the land of the brave have cast the trio alongside some of politics’ most peaceful leaders especially in the manner they exchanged power.

The smooth transition of power between themselves remains a replica of the peaceable atmosphere that prevailed since March 21 1990 -the most memorable and indeed the most emotional moment in the annals of Namibia’s history.

Weevils within the Swapo party should be reminded that enunciating slogans is simple. Confronting the obstacles to leading the electorate is complex and sometimes consists of sober, undramatic actions to achieve a goal. That is one of the key differences between populism, which thrives on slogans, and popular movements, which mobilise people into building organisations in order to achieve planned results.

This is one of the reasons why the mighty Swapo is appearing to have left its rivals in the shadows. It has focussed on issues and coherent plans to better progress the country through a sound manifesto.

Indeed, dispelling disruptive forces that have the capacity to derail progressive reforms of the party and are exploit the ignorance of the younger generation in order to bring about social unrest, confusion and chaos should be dealt with going forward. This should be done with the view that some revolutionary parties which lost integrity in the region were crippled by factional weevils that are selfishly inclined to their own leadership greed.