Swapo needs a heart transplant – Diescho

KENYA KAMBOWE



RUNDU

For Swapo to make a positive comeback from its dismal performance at the polls recently, the party needs a ‘heart transplant’ in the form of the resignation of its top dogs.

This according to professor Joseph Diescho, who said the party’s leaders must resign or risk making Swapo an opposition party after the 2024 elections.

“Swapo needs a heart transplant. They are calling for a sick heart to pump and it cannot,” he said.

Diescho, who is in self-imposed exile to Germany, made the remarks during a telephonic interview with Namibian Sun in which he shared his views on a number of issues such as the perceived poor representation of people from the Kavango regions in key government positions.

He argued that had Swapo been a party in great democracies like Germany and England, its leadership would have resigned because of the poor results obtained at the past elections.

Justified

Swapo members calling for the resignation of top leaders are justified in their demands, the academic said.

The party has lost its two-third majority in the National Assembly following last year’s general election, while it also suffered heavy defeats in the just-concluded regional and local authority elections.

“The leadership that led the party into the campaign and did poorly must resign,” Diescho reiterated.

“In greater democracies, the leadership would have resigned because of the dismal results of the elections.

“They would have resigned saying that we have not produced the results, therefore we cannot carry on, and Swapo would have had a snap election to elect a different leadership,” he said.

‘Top four has failed’

“The top four of Swapo has failed and they must give chance to other people to lead if Swapo wants to win the election in 2024. I can guarantee you that with this current leadership, Swapo will become the opposition. Swapo cannot inspire the future, they cannot inspire the youth. They are out of ideas and out of shape and steam.

“When David Cameron led the British people into a referendum for Brexit and his side did not win, he stepped aside and said he cannot lead any more.

“The lady Theresa May came in and did not succeed, she also left. If you cannot deliver on promises during your election campaign, you leave,” Diescho further said.

‘We have heard you’

Prior to the election, Swapo adopted ‘We have heard you’ as its campaign slogan, something Diescho said should not just be a slogan but must be followed up with action - and that action should see the leadership resigning.

He said Swapo has yet to respond to the masses.

“Hearing is not enough. You hear to act and Swapo has not acted. The leadership of Swapo has become part of the problem and if Swapo is to be very serious, the top leadership has to go so that a new voice can be heard,” he said.

Asked whether there are any prospects who can take over the leadership of the party, Diescho said he is certain there are people within Swapo who can take the reins.

“I am sure that there are people within Swapo who can emerge in the context of the crisis on the ground,” he said.

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