Harambee headache
Just shy of a year after the bruising 2017 Swapo elective congress, commentators disagree on who is to blame for the continued disunity among Team Harambee and Team Swapo members.
JEMIMA BEUKES
With the ruling party facing the possibility of going into the 2019 general elections deeply divided, Swapo president Hage Geingob and secretary-general Sophia Shaningwa have made calls recently for unity, seemingly fearing a polls backlash in the coming year. However, 2017 Swapo elective congress presidential candidate Nahas Angula has laid the blame for disunity at Geingob’s feet.
“In my view if you are the head of the family you have the responsibility to put the family together,” Angula said yesterday. “The president is the head of the party. It is his responsibility to put the party together. Nobody else would do that for him, the secretary-general is just an administrator, she can appeal, she can shout, nothing will happen.”
His comments follow those of Geingob recently and Shaningwa this week that the Team Swapo and Team Harambee factions around which last year’s congress battle coalesced, are still alive in the party, posing a significant risk as the 2019 general elections approach.
Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) secretary Ephraim Nekongo also conceded that divisions within Swapo were continuing unabated. “We need to unite and face the opposition. We cannot afford to have our members joining other parties because of this division. There is need for serious interventions if people refuse to unite,” said Nekongo. Local commentator Ndumba Kamwanyah concurred with Angula, saying the new party leadership should be blamed for the status quo.
“A good leadership would have put a lot of effort and tried to destroy that division and those teams within the party, but we see now that they are in a panic mode. Elections are around the corner and the party is still so divided.
“That is why you have seen the president and even the SG talking about unity now. That [shows] that they haven’t done anything to bring the party together,” he said.
According to Kamwanyah, party members are not impressed that the resolutions of the 2017 congress “are just on paper”. “So my guess is that they were carried away by the result and maybe diverted by other issues and not be able to go back and look at the resolutions. And it puts the party in trouble in terms of preparing for the national elections.”
The party this week announced that it will hold an extraordinary congress from 30 November to 1 December in Windhoek to adopt the 2017 congress resolutions. The contentious electoral college that will elect the candidates for the National Assembly seats next year, will likely also form part of the debate at the extraordinary congress.
‘Not an indictment’
University of Namibia (Unam) political science professor Lesley Blaauw, however, does not agree that the current divisions are an indictment on the leadership of the party, but rather a manifestation of democracy. He is convinced, though, that the party is haunted by the ‘follow the leader’ mantra.
“Expressing different views should be allowed. Remember, historically the ruling party like most liberation parties have a very top-down approach towards leadership, so the hierarchy and the fact that we have these contestations speak to the fact that some of the remnants of that has not been overcome yet,” he said.
“I think there is a need for openness and to allow people to express their views openly in order to lessen the tension between members. Contestation of ideas is fundamental to democratic debate and allowing these views to flourish would prevent and circumscribe efforts of backbiting.” Kamwanyah is also convinced that the ruling party will be affected by the divisions haunting it and the failure of its leadership to forge unity.
‘Failing opposition’
South African political analyst Nixon Kariithi is of the view that opposition parties in both Namibia and South Africa lack the ability to ‘swing-out’ and create opportunities from challenges ruling parties are faced with. “The only way one can really tell that the opposition has made a difference is at the polls. But if it these issues they raise don’t hurt the voter then it will not affect the way voters vote,” he said. “As the voter is hurt by unemployment, poverty and other socio-economic challenges, then we will see change. And it depends whether the opposition can convince these people directly hurt by unemployment and other challenges to go to the polls. And will they be able to remind these voters all the time of this, even when they are voting?” Kariithi said.
Blaauw added the biggest drawback for opposition parties is their desire to gain power and not necessarily to change the status quo. “We must remember that the opposition parties are not necessarily the best examples of unity and single-mindedness of purpose. Whatever the ruling party does and whether it has infighting, I do not think the opposition parties have been able to take advantage of the disunity. And what we have seen over the years, even if you have that during election time, people normally support the ruling party the most,” he added.
With the ruling party facing the possibility of going into the 2019 general elections deeply divided, Swapo president Hage Geingob and secretary-general Sophia Shaningwa have made calls recently for unity, seemingly fearing a polls backlash in the coming year. However, 2017 Swapo elective congress presidential candidate Nahas Angula has laid the blame for disunity at Geingob’s feet.
“In my view if you are the head of the family you have the responsibility to put the family together,” Angula said yesterday. “The president is the head of the party. It is his responsibility to put the party together. Nobody else would do that for him, the secretary-general is just an administrator, she can appeal, she can shout, nothing will happen.”
His comments follow those of Geingob recently and Shaningwa this week that the Team Swapo and Team Harambee factions around which last year’s congress battle coalesced, are still alive in the party, posing a significant risk as the 2019 general elections approach.
Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) secretary Ephraim Nekongo also conceded that divisions within Swapo were continuing unabated. “We need to unite and face the opposition. We cannot afford to have our members joining other parties because of this division. There is need for serious interventions if people refuse to unite,” said Nekongo. Local commentator Ndumba Kamwanyah concurred with Angula, saying the new party leadership should be blamed for the status quo.
“A good leadership would have put a lot of effort and tried to destroy that division and those teams within the party, but we see now that they are in a panic mode. Elections are around the corner and the party is still so divided.
“That is why you have seen the president and even the SG talking about unity now. That [shows] that they haven’t done anything to bring the party together,” he said.
According to Kamwanyah, party members are not impressed that the resolutions of the 2017 congress “are just on paper”. “So my guess is that they were carried away by the result and maybe diverted by other issues and not be able to go back and look at the resolutions. And it puts the party in trouble in terms of preparing for the national elections.”
The party this week announced that it will hold an extraordinary congress from 30 November to 1 December in Windhoek to adopt the 2017 congress resolutions. The contentious electoral college that will elect the candidates for the National Assembly seats next year, will likely also form part of the debate at the extraordinary congress.
‘Not an indictment’
University of Namibia (Unam) political science professor Lesley Blaauw, however, does not agree that the current divisions are an indictment on the leadership of the party, but rather a manifestation of democracy. He is convinced, though, that the party is haunted by the ‘follow the leader’ mantra.
“Expressing different views should be allowed. Remember, historically the ruling party like most liberation parties have a very top-down approach towards leadership, so the hierarchy and the fact that we have these contestations speak to the fact that some of the remnants of that has not been overcome yet,” he said.
“I think there is a need for openness and to allow people to express their views openly in order to lessen the tension between members. Contestation of ideas is fundamental to democratic debate and allowing these views to flourish would prevent and circumscribe efforts of backbiting.” Kamwanyah is also convinced that the ruling party will be affected by the divisions haunting it and the failure of its leadership to forge unity.
‘Failing opposition’
South African political analyst Nixon Kariithi is of the view that opposition parties in both Namibia and South Africa lack the ability to ‘swing-out’ and create opportunities from challenges ruling parties are faced with. “The only way one can really tell that the opposition has made a difference is at the polls. But if it these issues they raise don’t hurt the voter then it will not affect the way voters vote,” he said. “As the voter is hurt by unemployment, poverty and other socio-economic challenges, then we will see change. And it depends whether the opposition can convince these people directly hurt by unemployment and other challenges to go to the polls. And will they be able to remind these voters all the time of this, even when they are voting?” Kariithi said.
Blaauw added the biggest drawback for opposition parties is their desire to gain power and not necessarily to change the status quo. “We must remember that the opposition parties are not necessarily the best examples of unity and single-mindedness of purpose. Whatever the ruling party does and whether it has infighting, I do not think the opposition parties have been able to take advantage of the disunity. And what we have seen over the years, even if you have that during election time, people normally support the ruling party the most,” he added.
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