LPM claims Geingob offered it seats
Landless People's Movement (LPM) leader Bernadus Swartbooi claims President Hage Geingob offered his party seats in the National Assembly if it removed the party's deputy leader, Henny Seibeb.
The party won four seats in the November general election.
“Geingob was sitting and saying if they remove Seibeb from the list, I will give them more seats. It is not too surprising if it is true because he told [Popular Democratic Movement leader McHenry] Venaani at the State of the Nation Address that he had given them five seats. Now he has given them 16 seats,” Swartbooi said.
Seibeb last year held up a poster which read, “Voetsek Hage Geingob voetsek.” The poster drew wide condemnation.
Swaartbooi also accused the PDM of intentionally siding with Swapo, saying they were comfortable playing second fiddle as the official opposition party.
“The partnership between Swapo and the PDM is so close that they have a coalition in Okakarara and they work together. You can see that PDM in its history is a party of government, it is a regime-friendly party because it was created by a regime… its history and DNA is to be in a regime that is how it operates, it cannot operate without a regime,” said Swartbooi.
He further argued that the PDM was unable to compete head to head with Swapo, illustrating its choice to remain a supposed partner to the ruling party.
PDM parliamentarian Vipuakuje Muharukua blasted the comments made by Swartbooi, saying that opposition parties were doing a disservice to themselves instead of fighting Swapo on important issues.
“Opposition politics has been dampened by opposition political parties. Instead of fighting Swapo, Swapo's corruption, maladministration, Swapo's political arrogance against the Namibian people, non-delivery of services, opposition parties keep trying to fight… jostling for the position of official opposition. That in turn causes Namibian people not to have faith in opposition parties,” he told One Africa Television.
The PDM won 16 seats and garnered 16.6% of the votes cast in the National Assembly election, improving significantly on its performance in the 2014 general election.
OGONE TLHAGE
The party won four seats in the November general election.
“Geingob was sitting and saying if they remove Seibeb from the list, I will give them more seats. It is not too surprising if it is true because he told [Popular Democratic Movement leader McHenry] Venaani at the State of the Nation Address that he had given them five seats. Now he has given them 16 seats,” Swartbooi said.
Seibeb last year held up a poster which read, “Voetsek Hage Geingob voetsek.” The poster drew wide condemnation.
Swaartbooi also accused the PDM of intentionally siding with Swapo, saying they were comfortable playing second fiddle as the official opposition party.
“The partnership between Swapo and the PDM is so close that they have a coalition in Okakarara and they work together. You can see that PDM in its history is a party of government, it is a regime-friendly party because it was created by a regime… its history and DNA is to be in a regime that is how it operates, it cannot operate without a regime,” said Swartbooi.
He further argued that the PDM was unable to compete head to head with Swapo, illustrating its choice to remain a supposed partner to the ruling party.
PDM parliamentarian Vipuakuje Muharukua blasted the comments made by Swartbooi, saying that opposition parties were doing a disservice to themselves instead of fighting Swapo on important issues.
“Opposition politics has been dampened by opposition political parties. Instead of fighting Swapo, Swapo's corruption, maladministration, Swapo's political arrogance against the Namibian people, non-delivery of services, opposition parties keep trying to fight… jostling for the position of official opposition. That in turn causes Namibian people not to have faith in opposition parties,” he told One Africa Television.
The PDM won 16 seats and garnered 16.6% of the votes cast in the National Assembly election, improving significantly on its performance in the 2014 general election.
OGONE TLHAGE
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