Political leadership must evolve

On Wednesday the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) finalised the nominations of presidential candidates and those harbouring ambitions to represent their respective parties in the National Assembly next year. The election campaigns are heating up as November 28 - the confirmed national voting day - nears. Despite reports here and there of political intimidation, campaign season has been relatively peaceful compared to the ugly events weeks before the 2009 general elections, which saw Swapo and RDP making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Now that the nine candidates vying for presidency are confirmed, all eyes are fixed on whether Swapo’s Hage Geingob will prevail over his old friend Hidipo Hamutenya or if DTA leader McHenry Venaani will make a meaningful impact as the youngest candidate in the race. Veteran politician Ben Ulenga of CoD is also standing for the fourth time as a presidential candidate, which is seen as a last attempt to revive the former official opposition’s flagging fortunes. RP’s Henk Mudge is also in the presidential candidate mix after making an eleventh hour decision to withdraw his support for Geingob. Mudge received a little over 9 000 votes in the previous presidential election and once again faces an uphill battle in the coming polls. It will be interesting to see how the likes of Swanu, Nudo and the new kid on the block, the NEFF, perform at the polls. Only time will tell. The lingering question now is whether these parties will be able to deliver on their promises. A number of political parties have launched their election manifesto, with some boldly declaring that they will eradicate poverty, while some are promising wholesale changes when it comes to land reform. Free education, including at tertiary level, has also been a dominant promise in most of the manifestos. The NEFF is following in its big brother, the EFF’s footsteps, with promises to nationalise key assets of the economy. Swapo’s Geingob has focused mainly on maintaining peace and stability, while addressing poverty in the country. It is right that as a nation we have proven over the years that we can uphold peace and stability. Democracy is thriving and what is left is to drive a concerted effort to address inequality, many others. This will require committed leadership, which is visionary and laden with passion - not the kind of leadership that sticks to old ideologies and fails to evolve over time.