Namibia in dead-end street

The Swapo party is past its sell-by date and cannot take the nation into the future, a political analyst says. At the same time, he feels that the political opposition has not thought through and re-purposed its existence beyond replacing Swapo as a government. In an interview with Namibian Sun, Professor Joseph Diescho said Swapo is a liberation movement that has become “as dangerous as an expired pill”. It is his view that Namibians are rudderless, without a leader. “They must protest and must demand to be heard and the leadership will come out of that. Swapo has delivered on its mandate to liberate the country. “It cannot take us into the future; it is stuck in yesterday. It is the fault of the citizens to expect Swapo to deliver on the future,” he said. “We cannot explain to your kids that a minister who was in government in 1990 is still there. We are saying that they are the only ones who know the solution to Namibia's problems.” According to Diescho the current leaders come from a background of war and are intolerant and out of touch with the youth. “There is too much hostility in their mind-set, they cannot hear Job Amupanda. Pohamba, Nujoma and Hage cannot understand the youth. All they see and hear is indiscipline, 'we fought for this country, what you want?'” Intellectual laziness He added that President Hage Geingob's failure to explain “honestly in a way that justifies his appointment of a vice-president and a prime minister” is a sign of intellectual laziness. “And that intellectual laziness eats away at the potential for Africa to move forward. South Africa is better because they have an intellectual powerhouse, the Communist Party. We do not have an intellectual powerhouse here,” he said. Bankruptcy Diescho added that Namibian leaders have lost empathy with the masses, adding that Geingob must deliver on his promise to institute a lifestyle audit. “We have to bring into our body politic empathy for the poor and not just rhetoric. Julius Nyerere said you cannot be in my cabinet and run a business because you would be in conflict with us. “That is why ministers have a government car and two drivers so that they do not have to hustle to buy toilet paper; they send people to do that. Now why would you compete with the people who hustle to make a living while you are looked after?” he asked. JEMIMA BEUKES

Namibia in dead-end street

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-07-07

Please login to leave a comment

Namibia in dead-end street

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-07-07

Please login to leave a comment

Login