EDITORIAL: Voters resonate with radical leftist posture
It’s clear that Namibians are willing to vote for opposition parties that present a radical leftist posture compared to those with a centralist ideology.
With Namibia’s economic fundamentals largely unshaken since independence, there is a growing feeling within the populace that something radical must happen to change the trajectory of the economy.
The structural ownership of the means of production – land, labour and capital – remains the same.
Radical politics, which the Affirmative Repositioning and Landless People’s Movement largely identify with, denotes the intent to transform or replace the fundamental principles of a society or political system, often through social change, structural change, revolution or radical reform.
It is easy to see why the two parties have performed quite well in this election. The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), which leans towards centre-right politics, has suffered in this election. Under the current circumstances, a centre-right ideology does not appeal to people who demand equitable distribution of resources such as land and minerals.
Centre-right parties often stand opposed to radical politics, redistributive policies, and sometimes multiculturalism.
They support free markets, where the economy is largely left to the dictates of the so-called invisible hand of the market, with the demand and supply principle as the underlying factor. This, as opposed to deliberate interventions to shake the fundamentals of the economy through such initiatives as black economic empowerment (BEE).
The centre-right ideology usually seeks to preserve the cultural and socio-economic status quo and believes that changes should be implemented gradually. Namibians seem to suggest that gradual implementation has not worked in the last 34 years and that something rather radical must happen.
With Namibia’s economic fundamentals largely unshaken since independence, there is a growing feeling within the populace that something radical must happen to change the trajectory of the economy.
The structural ownership of the means of production – land, labour and capital – remains the same.
Radical politics, which the Affirmative Repositioning and Landless People’s Movement largely identify with, denotes the intent to transform or replace the fundamental principles of a society or political system, often through social change, structural change, revolution or radical reform.
It is easy to see why the two parties have performed quite well in this election. The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), which leans towards centre-right politics, has suffered in this election. Under the current circumstances, a centre-right ideology does not appeal to people who demand equitable distribution of resources such as land and minerals.
Centre-right parties often stand opposed to radical politics, redistributive policies, and sometimes multiculturalism.
They support free markets, where the economy is largely left to the dictates of the so-called invisible hand of the market, with the demand and supply principle as the underlying factor. This, as opposed to deliberate interventions to shake the fundamentals of the economy through such initiatives as black economic empowerment (BEE).
The centre-right ideology usually seeks to preserve the cultural and socio-economic status quo and believes that changes should be implemented gradually. Namibians seem to suggest that gradual implementation has not worked in the last 34 years and that something rather radical must happen.
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Namibian Sun
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