Hit the ground running

At the time of penning this down yesterday, the tabulation of election results was still under way. It didn’t look like a good day at the office for the ruling party Swapo, which has lost swathes of constituencies and town councils.

While some may see this as punishment against Swapo for a myriad of perceived transgressions, others simply see it as an opportunity for renewal and to place the country back onto a forward trajectory.

There is simply no time to remain drunk on the fermentation of victory and the marathon hangover that comes with it. It’s time to put shoulder to the wheel.

Namibians did not vote out Swapo so that new councillors can thumb their chests and drown in the sea of pride as new emperors on the throne.

Where Swapo was voted out, Namibians want the new sheriffs in town to hit the ground running and deliver on their wishes and aspirations.

This is no time for dancing on top of tables and popping champagne corks as if celebrating winning a lottery.

What this election has taught us is that, except in rural areas where party loyalty overrides the merits of what has actually been delivered, the rest of the country now seeks solutions to their immediate problems in exchange for their votes.

Swapo has four years to self-correct or the writing will remain on this wall that is now morphing into a mountain hard to traverse.