EDITORIAL: The shame of Swapo campaigns
The use of government vehicles by Swapo vice-presidential candidates in their mad dash congress campaigns is a continuation of a very worrying tradition that Namibians have internalised and no longer see how morally sickening it has become.
According to new congress rules, all candidates must traverse the width and breadth of the country, canvassing for votes from delegates. And they are doing so at the taxpayer’s expense.
How this is perceived as normal and permissible is beyond our thinking. Not only is this a blatant abuse of resources that do not belong to Swapo, but the whole scandal also advantages some candidates over others.
And here is why. While Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and Pohamba Shifeta are all entitled to official vehicles, a non-state candidate would not have had the same privilege.
Jerry Ekandjo, for example, is an ordinary member of parliament who lost his official vehicles the day Hage Geingob unceremoniously ushered him through the exit door of Cabinet in 2018. If he was in the race, as he recently claimed he was entitled to be, he would be forced to dig deep into his own pockets to travel.
‘Private’ use of government vehicles by politicians should not extend to political rallies. Swapo is sitting on a billion-dollar business empire, evidenced by the construction of its N$700 million headquarters, but it would rather save its own resources and abuse those of the state. It’s a disgrace!
According to new congress rules, all candidates must traverse the width and breadth of the country, canvassing for votes from delegates. And they are doing so at the taxpayer’s expense.
How this is perceived as normal and permissible is beyond our thinking. Not only is this a blatant abuse of resources that do not belong to Swapo, but the whole scandal also advantages some candidates over others.
And here is why. While Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and Pohamba Shifeta are all entitled to official vehicles, a non-state candidate would not have had the same privilege.
Jerry Ekandjo, for example, is an ordinary member of parliament who lost his official vehicles the day Hage Geingob unceremoniously ushered him through the exit door of Cabinet in 2018. If he was in the race, as he recently claimed he was entitled to be, he would be forced to dig deep into his own pockets to travel.
‘Private’ use of government vehicles by politicians should not extend to political rallies. Swapo is sitting on a billion-dollar business empire, evidenced by the construction of its N$700 million headquarters, but it would rather save its own resources and abuse those of the state. It’s a disgrace!
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