Swapo wants to regain two-thirds majority
• Go the extra mile, Shaningwa urges
A combination of underperformance and corruption are thought to have heavily affected the party in 2019.
Jemima BeukesWINDHOEK
Swapo secretary-general Sophia Shaningwa has urged party functionaries to go the extra mile to ensure as many people as possible vote for the former liberation movement.
This in a desperate attempt to regain the party’s two-thirds majority, which it lost in the last general election.
Swapo received 65.45% of the votes in the 2019 national assembly election, losing its two-thirds majority in the process. In the presidential election, the party earned 56% - a hard fall from the 87% its candidate Hage Geingob received in 2014.
Also in 2014, Swapo got 80% of the vote, its highest election tally in history.
A combination of underperformance and corruption, especially the Fishrot bribery scandal, are thought to have heavily affected the party in 2019.
Shaningwa was speaking at the first central committee meeting of the Swapo Party Elders Council (SPEC) on Saturday.
Under attack
She said it is an open secret that former liberation movements in southern Africa are under attack, and Swapo is no exception – hence the elders should do their best to guide the party’s youth.
Shaningwa added that it is important that they understand that every vote counts and every elder is a significant voting bloc. They should, therefore, design a special outreach programme for elders who cannot be reached through social media, she said.
“The task facing our party today is clear - to maintain Swapo as dominant force in the Namibian political space, to regain the ground that we lost in the last general elections and to continue uniting the people of Namibia,” she said.
“I was encouraged during my travels to observe that there is a sense of optimism among our people for Swapo. Some who left are coming back and we are also gaining new members.
“However, this enthusiasm should not make us complacent, but make us walk the extra mile by delivering quality services at all levels,” the secretary-general noted.
Action over words
Shaningwa also said she would like to see decisions taken at the congress put into action, and reminded the SPEC that they should elect people with enthusiasm who are willing to go above and beyond to serve the party and Namibians.
“Action speaks louder than words.
“We should also not profess to be united but should be seen and act united. A house that is not united cannot stand.
“We cannot all think alike because we are not robots, but once the majority [is] on a particular candidate, then we as members of the party have no choice [but] to rally behind that candidate.”
[email protected]
Swapo secretary-general Sophia Shaningwa has urged party functionaries to go the extra mile to ensure as many people as possible vote for the former liberation movement.
This in a desperate attempt to regain the party’s two-thirds majority, which it lost in the last general election.
Swapo received 65.45% of the votes in the 2019 national assembly election, losing its two-thirds majority in the process. In the presidential election, the party earned 56% - a hard fall from the 87% its candidate Hage Geingob received in 2014.
Also in 2014, Swapo got 80% of the vote, its highest election tally in history.
A combination of underperformance and corruption, especially the Fishrot bribery scandal, are thought to have heavily affected the party in 2019.
Shaningwa was speaking at the first central committee meeting of the Swapo Party Elders Council (SPEC) on Saturday.
Under attack
She said it is an open secret that former liberation movements in southern Africa are under attack, and Swapo is no exception – hence the elders should do their best to guide the party’s youth.
Shaningwa added that it is important that they understand that every vote counts and every elder is a significant voting bloc. They should, therefore, design a special outreach programme for elders who cannot be reached through social media, she said.
“The task facing our party today is clear - to maintain Swapo as dominant force in the Namibian political space, to regain the ground that we lost in the last general elections and to continue uniting the people of Namibia,” she said.
“I was encouraged during my travels to observe that there is a sense of optimism among our people for Swapo. Some who left are coming back and we are also gaining new members.
“However, this enthusiasm should not make us complacent, but make us walk the extra mile by delivering quality services at all levels,” the secretary-general noted.
Action over words
Shaningwa also said she would like to see decisions taken at the congress put into action, and reminded the SPEC that they should elect people with enthusiasm who are willing to go above and beyond to serve the party and Namibians.
“Action speaks louder than words.
“We should also not profess to be united but should be seen and act united. A house that is not united cannot stand.
“We cannot all think alike because we are not robots, but once the majority [is] on a particular candidate, then we as members of the party have no choice [but] to rally behind that candidate.”
[email protected]
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