Meet Namibia’s youngest MP

Vipuakuje Muharukua is only 30 years old, but in March next year he will take up his seat in Parliament as one of the DTA’s five MPs. He has a number of issues he wants to tackle immediately on behalf of the youth, who are “ailing in poverty”. “When they go for an interview, they need to dress up, they need taxi money and a CV that must be typed and printed, which is costly. Instead of splurging money on government buildings and wasting money on a new Parliament, government must give single mothers a subsistence grant of N$1 400 a month, for them to afford to purchase that dress and buy nappies, as she will be leaving her baby with someone else when she goes for that interview.” He said the youth should be driving the country’s agenda, but too many of them were complacent, allowing old people to dominate Parliament. Known as Vipua, he is a Himba, born and bred in Opuwo. He went to Outjo Primary School and later to Jan Möhr Secondary School in Windhoek. Vipua told Namibian Sun yesterday that he has occupied leadership positions since primary school, where he was a prefect. At Jan Möhr he doubled as hostel head boy and a prefect. He completed school in 2002 and has a law degree from the University of Gloucestershire in the United Kingdom, where he graduated in 2008. He has since started his own law firm in Opuwo. “I love helping people and solving problems they cannot solve on their own.” He mostly has private clients and deals with civil and criminal cases. “Being an MP-elect is an opportunity for me and the DTA to serve the Namibian people. We have a vision for thecountry. I see it as an opportunity to encourage other youth, to be involved in current affairs.” Asked how he got involved in politics, Vikua said: “My father has always been involved in DTA politics ever since I can remember. I have been involved backstage in DTA politics for a while. I was part of the strategic planing team of the party’s transformation.” He said for a long time he did not want to go to Parliament, but he decided to accept the nomination, as “the youth needed a true representative”. “The youth must have someone who understands the problems we face and who brings workable solutions to the problems.” He added that over the years Kaokoland, where he hails from, never had an opposition MP to drive its issues, which he would now do. “I hope I will be a true representative of the youth, regardless of political background and economic status.” Asked about what challenges and issues he would take to Parliament, Vikua said: “All youth must get proper education that will lead to a strong economy. Namibia should assess its educational needs and the capabilities of each child at a tender age and usher them toward educational qualifications.” He said the country should have a two-tier education system where children who are not academically gifted can be trained in practical skills like leather work. Vikua said government should build vocational training centres in each region. He said in Rundu, for example, people were into woodwork and roof thatching. “They deserve a training centre that trains in that area,” Vikua. He said unemployment was another critical issue. “The education system we are proposing will address unemployment. More skills mean more companies and a stronger economy.” Land issue He said land was another issue he would tackle in Parliament. “The government should have urban resettlement for unemployed youth, who cannot afford to buy land.” He said current resettlement policies are “irresponsible” and “will make the youth inherit land problems”. “If you go to resettlement farms, they have become communal land and they are not adding to the economy. They have become places where subsistence farming is practiced. What we propose is to train people in agriculture that are resettled, and provide sufficient mentorship.” He also claimed that AgriBank only caters for a certain section of the population, who have financial means. “AgriBank is ineffective when it comes to getting land back for blacks, because land prices are high.” He said the bank’s mandate should be revised. He said 2.2% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) should be put aside to serve as collateral for business-minded youth, so they can get assistance to start companies. A mentor should also be appointed to assist a young person who starts a business, so that the chances of success are increased. He said government tenders should be carved up, so that many companies can benefit, instead of just one or two. Asked if a single mother grant will not create laziness, Vikua said this will not be the case. “Sometime poverty locks people in idleness. It will not create laziness, but lift people out of poverty. If you sleep with an empty stomach and go for an interview, you will not perform.” WINDHOEK SELMA IKELA