Inside the unholy PDM-UPM matrimony

United People’s Movement (UPM) leader Jan van Wyk described his party’s alliance with the country’s official opposition, Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), as an oppressive and exploitative arrangement, but hastened to add that they will challenge their removal from the National Assembly in court.Van Wyk and his fellow UPM lawmaker Frans Bertolini were evicted from the National Assembly this week after announcing that their party will seek new alliance partners, including backing aspiring independent presidential candidate Ally Angula.Van Wyk accused PDM of breaching the regulations of an agreement between the parties – signed in August 2019 - from the beginning by flexing its muscles and doing things contrary to the alliance.In a broad-sweeping interview with Namibian Sun yesterday, Van Wyk said his party decided to get new alliance partners for the upcoming elections because PDM wanted to call all the shots by dictating who UPM should align to - an assertion which is widely disputed by PDM leader McHenry Venaani. According to Venaani, UPM wanted more benefits than its contribution to the alliance called for.Unequal power dynamicsThose close to the matter claim the root cause of the current fight lies in the unequal power dynamics between the two partners.Questions around the legality of UPM parliamentary funds being paid into PDM’s account have also raised red flags about the arrangement. Each party was responsible for its own funds, despite it being deposited into PDM’s account.Van Wyk was also supposed to be appointed as the second vice-president of PDM as well as serve on its structures, he said. This never happened.Oppressive setup Van Wyk explained how PDM controlled the finances within the alliance as well as how the two parties should cooperate, despite an alliance pact being in place.He claims PDM forced his party to contribute over N$1 million to settle election debts and another N$300 000 for a case in which the party was dragged to court for illegally swearing in six of its members in the National Assembly."At some point, the PDM had a N$1.3 million election debt for campaign materials such as T-shirts and posters, and we were deducted a certain amount every month. It was deducted directly from the two seats’ money [before] they paid it into our accounts. We never even saw invoices for all the spending we had to cater for, despite it having nothing to do with us. “I can tell you that we are currently consulting our legal team to challenge these removals in court,” the former parliamentarian revealed.Van Wyk said his party was under siege by high-level intimidation from PDM since the alliance started.“It was an oppressive setup in which we were abused and oppressed,” he said.Van Wyk further said the clause to add him into PDM structures was not implemented because “we were not prepared to take up membership of the PDM”.The two parties also agreed that they would promote each other, but PDM was not forthcoming, he claimed.“We put up the PDM logo up at our office, but they never did the same at their office. What they tried to do was to subject the UPM president under the PDM president, which we refused. When these discussions took place, I was not the president,” he said.‘He’s made his bed’Venaani and other senior officials in the PDM ranks have taken an alarmingly antagonistic approach to Van Wyk, with the party leader even going as far as accusing UPM of using the coalition for financial gain.He further disputed claims that UPM made financial contributions to settle PDM’s election and legal costs.“We don’t know about the N$1 million contribution – they don’t have that kind of money. With the N$300 000, look in the coalition agreements - there are mutual benefits. Look, I am the leader of PDM, would you not contribute to the party’s growth?” Venaani wanted to know when asked about claims that UPM has contributed significant financial support to PDM.He further stated: “Jan has made his bed and he should sleep in it. You cannot jettison an agreement, now you are sitting in my shadow, behind me in parliament and you are supposed to be in another party. Jan and UPM are so folly”. “Imagine, if this was a government and you were a minister, would you still be a minister in this government when you decided to join another party? There is no floor crossing in Namibia.” Venaani also confirmed that UPM’s parliamentary funding is paid into PDM’s bank account. “We agreed fundamentally that PDM would be the gaining pot, so as not to confuse voters and that the parliamentary funding would come to the party that was elected. You cannot dissolve a party; PDM is a party. You cannot be in an alliance to protect your identity and then tomorrow you are Swapo. The minute you join another political party, then you cannot claim benefits from another party. You cannot claim what is left behind,” he said.

Inside the unholy PDM-UPM matrimony

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-17

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Inside the unholy PDM-UPM matrimony

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-17

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