Swapo bans non-donors from 'pot' contest
Pay for campaign, or don't show up
The financially struggling ruling party, which has asked members to each cough up N$3 000, is threatening to ban non-payers from the race to parliament.
Swapo members who have not contributed to the party’s 2024 election campaign - with a fixed fee of N$3 000 - will not be eligible to contest for a spot on the party’s parliamentary list at its electoral college in a few weeks’ time.
The decision caught party figures by surprise when it was communicated by secretary-general Sophia Shaningwa on Friday.
The electoral college will take place from 6 to 8 September, when all central committee members, Swapo members of the National Assembly party structures and affiliates will battle it out for a spot on the 96-member list.
According to a new, stringent vetting process, the ruling party’s parliamentary list candidates are required to prove - with receipts - that they have contributed to this year’s campaign and that their financial obligations to the party are in order. Shaningwa is facing resistance over her decision to coerce party members into funding the campaign, which is expected to run into millions.
A central committee member who supports the campaign funding requirement said the move is not only a tool by the governing party to rid itself of truant members who do not honour their financial obligations, but it’s also part of a broader agenda to boost the party’s finances.
Shaningwa, her deputy Uahekua Herunga and party spokesperson Hilma Nikanor were not available for comment yesterday.
Resistance
Despite the decision seeming well-intended to bolster the party’s campaign war chest, at least three central committee members who spoke to Namibian Sun have questioned the motives thereof and accused Shaningwa of unilaterally including the requirement.
They claim that the campaign funding requirement was not endorsed by the central committee.
“The party gave us letters as central committee members, asking us to voluntarily contribute to the party’s campaign. It was not compulsory. So, to see it included as a requirement is quite shocking. There was also no deadline in the request letters we got,” a central committee member who spoke on condition of anonymity said.
Another central committee member lamented that the imposed requirement will further isolate party members who do not have the financial means to fork out thousands for campaigns, adding that competent members who do not have the financial means will also be sidelined.
A member of the committee who has also been agitated by the decision described the campaign funding requirement as inappropriate and discriminatory.
"I have been a central committee member for many years and I have never before come across such a requirement. This is draconian and disturbing and should not be left unchallenged. The central committee never discussed or endorsed such a requirement, so where is it coming from?” they wanted to know.
"This shows that the party is becoming an elitist movement where only those with money are allowed to contest for positions. If the party does not have money for the campaign, it means the secretary-general has failed in her duty to ensure that the party’s finances are sufficient to allow the party to execute its programmes.”
Future leaders
Swapo also wants its prospective public representatives to submit their curriculum vitae, inclusive of their employment history. This is only applicable to central committee members who are not in parliament currently.
Political analyst Rui Tyitende said those elected at the electoral college will provide an indication of the quality of public leaders Namibia will have going forward, should Swapo win the 27 November polls.
He added that Swapo’s presidential candidate, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, will have a tough time selecting her Cabinet team if she wins the presidential poll because the human resources at her disposal will be limited as far as meritocracy is concerned.
He also predicted that Nandi-Ndaitwah’s faction at the 2022 party congress will feature high up on the list.
“Her candidates will make up a huge chunk of the list and I suspect the issue of ethnicity will also play a role. She has always said she is for the youth, so if she keeps her word, you can expect a lot of young people on the list,” he said.
Best outcome
The best possible electoral college outcome, Tyitende said, is one that has an ethnic balance, regional and youth representation as well as gender balance.
Eligible party members who wish to be part of the list have until this Friday to submit their documents to Shaningwa’s office for vetting.
This while political parties have until 16 October to submit their lists of their prospective public representatives for parliament to the Electoral Commission of Namibia.
The decision caught party figures by surprise when it was communicated by secretary-general Sophia Shaningwa on Friday.
The electoral college will take place from 6 to 8 September, when all central committee members, Swapo members of the National Assembly party structures and affiliates will battle it out for a spot on the 96-member list.
According to a new, stringent vetting process, the ruling party’s parliamentary list candidates are required to prove - with receipts - that they have contributed to this year’s campaign and that their financial obligations to the party are in order. Shaningwa is facing resistance over her decision to coerce party members into funding the campaign, which is expected to run into millions.
A central committee member who supports the campaign funding requirement said the move is not only a tool by the governing party to rid itself of truant members who do not honour their financial obligations, but it’s also part of a broader agenda to boost the party’s finances.
Shaningwa, her deputy Uahekua Herunga and party spokesperson Hilma Nikanor were not available for comment yesterday.
Resistance
Despite the decision seeming well-intended to bolster the party’s campaign war chest, at least three central committee members who spoke to Namibian Sun have questioned the motives thereof and accused Shaningwa of unilaterally including the requirement.
They claim that the campaign funding requirement was not endorsed by the central committee.
“The party gave us letters as central committee members, asking us to voluntarily contribute to the party’s campaign. It was not compulsory. So, to see it included as a requirement is quite shocking. There was also no deadline in the request letters we got,” a central committee member who spoke on condition of anonymity said.
Another central committee member lamented that the imposed requirement will further isolate party members who do not have the financial means to fork out thousands for campaigns, adding that competent members who do not have the financial means will also be sidelined.
A member of the committee who has also been agitated by the decision described the campaign funding requirement as inappropriate and discriminatory.
"I have been a central committee member for many years and I have never before come across such a requirement. This is draconian and disturbing and should not be left unchallenged. The central committee never discussed or endorsed such a requirement, so where is it coming from?” they wanted to know.
"This shows that the party is becoming an elitist movement where only those with money are allowed to contest for positions. If the party does not have money for the campaign, it means the secretary-general has failed in her duty to ensure that the party’s finances are sufficient to allow the party to execute its programmes.”
Future leaders
Swapo also wants its prospective public representatives to submit their curriculum vitae, inclusive of their employment history. This is only applicable to central committee members who are not in parliament currently.
Political analyst Rui Tyitende said those elected at the electoral college will provide an indication of the quality of public leaders Namibia will have going forward, should Swapo win the 27 November polls.
He added that Swapo’s presidential candidate, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, will have a tough time selecting her Cabinet team if she wins the presidential poll because the human resources at her disposal will be limited as far as meritocracy is concerned.
He also predicted that Nandi-Ndaitwah’s faction at the 2022 party congress will feature high up on the list.
“Her candidates will make up a huge chunk of the list and I suspect the issue of ethnicity will also play a role. She has always said she is for the youth, so if she keeps her word, you can expect a lot of young people on the list,” he said.
Best outcome
The best possible electoral college outcome, Tyitende said, is one that has an ethnic balance, regional and youth representation as well as gender balance.
Eligible party members who wish to be part of the list have until this Friday to submit their documents to Shaningwa’s office for vetting.
This while political parties have until 16 October to submit their lists of their prospective public representatives for parliament to the Electoral Commission of Namibia.
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article