Nothing personal - Dienda gets Swapo-linked ECN candidate booted

Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) lawmaker Elma Dienda says her objection to the candidature of former Swapo think tank member Michael Tjivikua being appointed head of the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) is not personal.

Appointing him to the position would bring into question his ability to objectively oversee elections, Dienda said.

She made the comments during a brief interview with Namibian Sun yesterday, following Tjivikua’s disqualification.

"As a [former] member of a Swapo think tank, is he not in conflict? You cannot have such a person be the chief electoral officer of ECN. How will the relationship be with the stakeholders of the ECN?" Dienda said in her motivation to have Tjivikua expelled.

"I don’t have problems with the person; I have a problem with the principle," she added.

Failure to disclose

Tjivikua served in the Swapo think tank until 2021.

Efforts to reach him proved futile, as calls made to his cellphone went unanswered, as did a message sent to his phone.

Prior to the public interviews on Friday, Dienda had already written to ECN to complain about Tjivikua’s shortlisting.

The ECN last week defended the shortlisting of Tjivikua but conceded on Friday that his failure to disclose information as a former member of the ruling party's think tank was unacceptable.

There were no objections to the shortlisting of the other candidates: Oscar Muyatwa, Helmuth Naweseb, Dr Vincent Sazita, and Petrus Shaamba.

Job hunting

Meanwhile, the candidates vying for the position laid bare their aspirations during the public interview process.

Sharing his plans for the ECN, Muyatwa, a director in the Office of the Prime Minister, said he would strengthen the election body’s cybersecurity framework.

"Cybersecurity is the latest challenge we have in organisations. Unless we invest in information technology, we will be a lame duck," Muyatwa said.

The ECN would also undertake extensive benchmarking with sister organisations, he said.

"We also need to keep abreast with sister organisations; we need to benchmark and adopt best practices all the time," he said.

Muyatwa stressed that the ECN's budget allocation was low, saying he would advocate for more funding.

"The budget that is allocated to the ECN does not equate to the mandate that this institution has. When I am in the position, part of my job is to advocate and lobby for adequate support from the government," Muyatwa said.

Funding scrutiny

Legal officer in the Office of the President, Helmut Nawaseb, said he would ensure more scrutiny of political party funding.

"The funding of political parties, there are certain restrictions on that money, and what mechanisms do we have to ensure that money is used for specific purposes it has been allocated for?" Nawaseb said.

"My legacy, if I am the preferred candidate, should follow the dictates of the law as it stands," he added.

Retired academic Vincent Sazita said he would ensure the ECN’s timelines, in terms of its activities, are always met through improved communication.

"As a chief electoral officer, I want to make sure I consult so that the commission is aware of what activities are going on so that there are no delays in terms of timelines set," he said.

ECN director of operations Peter Shaama said he would ensure the ECN's commissioners met on a more frequent basis.

"I want to have a policy that regulates our meetings, where all our meetings are integrated – that will make the planning very easy," he said.