No deputy ministers under LPM rule
The Landless People's Movement (LPM) held its first official political rally as a registered party at Rehoboth on Sunday.
It promised voters that in its first 100 days in power every person would be given a title deed to the land they were occupying at the time.
The party also elected its political leaders for the Hardap Region at the weekend. At the same time, a group of defected United People's Movement (UPM) members who had joined the party were introduced.
These members included the UPM councillor on the Rehoboth town council. During the rally LPM leader Bernadus Swartbooi said in just 29 years of governance Swapo had governed Namibia into the ground, while citizens were not even able to afford a piece of land.
“In 29 years Swapo pushed close to one million people into poverty. Imagine if you give them another term? After another 29 years the two million Namibian population will then all be living in abject poverty. Is that what you want?” he asked. He emphasised that every Namibian citizen deserved a place to call home.
“No person should be regarded as a citizen of a country without a piece of land,” Swartbooi said.
One of the major changes the LPM would make if it was voted into power was to get rid of deputy ministers, he said. He described them as nothing but “handlangertjies” which means “little lackeys”.
The money saved by abolishing these positions would be used to transform the education system, Swartbooi pledged.
The LPM also promised to increase the monthly old-age pension to N$3 000 and to increase social grants for orphans.
“We have a very big problem with the number of orphans and we need to address that as soon as possible. If that is increased then we know we have improved the living conditions of a child even if he lives in a shack,” he said.
He also believes that the repayment holiday on Agribank loans should be extended from three to six years.
“Many of our people bought land and they lost it because they could not repay that debt of the Agribank. Look at Botswana where the government invests in people. That is why you have young Tswana women and men that have farms that equal those that we only see with white farmers,” he said.
Swartbooi accused the government of chasing black people from their land, plunging them into poverty, whereas the previous “white government” had bent over backwards for its people.
“Because of that we have this big gap between rich white people and poor black people. Big subsidies were given to white people, jobs were kept exclusively for white people.
And the government has done nothing to change this situation. Political leaders closed that gap only for them and their relatives,” he said.
JEMIMA BEUKES
It promised voters that in its first 100 days in power every person would be given a title deed to the land they were occupying at the time.
The party also elected its political leaders for the Hardap Region at the weekend. At the same time, a group of defected United People's Movement (UPM) members who had joined the party were introduced.
These members included the UPM councillor on the Rehoboth town council. During the rally LPM leader Bernadus Swartbooi said in just 29 years of governance Swapo had governed Namibia into the ground, while citizens were not even able to afford a piece of land.
“In 29 years Swapo pushed close to one million people into poverty. Imagine if you give them another term? After another 29 years the two million Namibian population will then all be living in abject poverty. Is that what you want?” he asked. He emphasised that every Namibian citizen deserved a place to call home.
“No person should be regarded as a citizen of a country without a piece of land,” Swartbooi said.
One of the major changes the LPM would make if it was voted into power was to get rid of deputy ministers, he said. He described them as nothing but “handlangertjies” which means “little lackeys”.
The money saved by abolishing these positions would be used to transform the education system, Swartbooi pledged.
The LPM also promised to increase the monthly old-age pension to N$3 000 and to increase social grants for orphans.
“We have a very big problem with the number of orphans and we need to address that as soon as possible. If that is increased then we know we have improved the living conditions of a child even if he lives in a shack,” he said.
He also believes that the repayment holiday on Agribank loans should be extended from three to six years.
“Many of our people bought land and they lost it because they could not repay that debt of the Agribank. Look at Botswana where the government invests in people. That is why you have young Tswana women and men that have farms that equal those that we only see with white farmers,” he said.
Swartbooi accused the government of chasing black people from their land, plunging them into poverty, whereas the previous “white government” had bent over backwards for its people.
“Because of that we have this big gap between rich white people and poor black people. Big subsidies were given to white people, jobs were kept exclusively for white people.
And the government has done nothing to change this situation. Political leaders closed that gap only for them and their relatives,” he said.
JEMIMA BEUKES
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