EDITORIAL: Economy above politics
Economist Rowland Brown’s analysis on what influences Namibia’s election results makes good fodder to chew on ahead of the November political showdown.
Swapo cruised smoothly in elections whenever the polls followed a strong economic performance. When the opposite was true, the electoral ride was consequently bumpier. Fair game. It’s a simple carrot and stick principle, a reward and punishment to induce a desired behaviour.
In fairness, we are glad that our democracy has reached the age of reason. Blind loyalty is a destructive comfort zone. It’s not patriotic to remain faithful to a partner who is not living up to their part of the bargain. Why should politicians work their backsides off if they are guaranteed re-election irrespective of whether they have performed well or not?
Politics is not different from the logic of everyday life. At home, parents may take away sweets from a child - not because they hate him, but because they adore him so much that they would do everything possible to make him a better person, even by imposing an element of pain on him. Life, by its very design, dictates that we must break eggs in order to make an omelette.
Therefore, those who want to lead us post-November must demonstrate ability and will to turn around the fortunes of our country. In order to address the significant economic challenges confronting our nation, we will require creative, autonomous thinking – not tired, regurgitated clichés and banality.
Songs of praise and dancing are no longer the ingredients of today’s Namibian politics. Those days are gone, like the wind in the Namib.
Swapo cruised smoothly in elections whenever the polls followed a strong economic performance. When the opposite was true, the electoral ride was consequently bumpier. Fair game. It’s a simple carrot and stick principle, a reward and punishment to induce a desired behaviour.
In fairness, we are glad that our democracy has reached the age of reason. Blind loyalty is a destructive comfort zone. It’s not patriotic to remain faithful to a partner who is not living up to their part of the bargain. Why should politicians work their backsides off if they are guaranteed re-election irrespective of whether they have performed well or not?
Politics is not different from the logic of everyday life. At home, parents may take away sweets from a child - not because they hate him, but because they adore him so much that they would do everything possible to make him a better person, even by imposing an element of pain on him. Life, by its very design, dictates that we must break eggs in order to make an omelette.
Therefore, those who want to lead us post-November must demonstrate ability and will to turn around the fortunes of our country. In order to address the significant economic challenges confronting our nation, we will require creative, autonomous thinking – not tired, regurgitated clichés and banality.
Songs of praise and dancing are no longer the ingredients of today’s Namibian politics. Those days are gone, like the wind in the Namib.
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