UPM’s support of Angula undermines us, PDM tells court

The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) says the public allegiance of its alliance partner, the United People’s Movement (UPM), to another political entity and independent presidential aspirant Ally Angula in this year’s general election will negatively impact it.

UPM sowed trouble within its alliance with PDM when it publicly announced that it is entering into a new coalition with National Empowerment Fighting Corruption (NEFC), and that it will support Angula during the presidential polls, slated for 27 November.

After PDM removed two of its lawmakers from the National Assembly earlier this month, UPM dragged its alliance partner to court. In answering papers filed in the High Court last week, PDM secretary-general Manuel Ngaringombe said “UPM cannot be in bed with two opposite political parties at the same time, or have its bread buttered on both sides”.

“Furthermore, the public alliance of the UPM and the NEFC and their support for Ally Angula as presidential candidate negatively impacts PDM,” he said.

UPM wants the court to compel PDM to reinstate its president Jan van Wyk and Frans Bertolini, but PDM maintains that by doing so, the party will be forced into an arrangement “under circumstances where a continued relationship has for obvious reasons become intolerable”.

Bitter rivalry

UPM’s decision to join a new alliance before the expiration of its current pact with PDM has resulted in a bitter rivalry between the two parties, one which is now being heard before the courts.

“PDM motivated and sold this alliance with UPM to its supporters and is therefore accountable to its supporters in this regard to ensure that its supporters do not lose faith in it shortly before the next elections,” Ngaringombe said.

He also argued that UPM’s attempts to have the matter heard on an urgent basis are misplaced.

Timeline

In 2019, UPM and PDM signed a five-year alliance agreement.

PDM now contends that, as per the agreement, both parties are expected to abide by it until the very end. Meanwhile, UPM argues that the agreement only makes provision for the 2019 polls, and it is therefore free to enter into any political marriage of its choice.

“UPM breached its duty of allegiance and trust towards PDM when it formed an alliance with NEFC to support Ally Angula as their presidential candidate for 2024,” Ngaringombe contended.

The two parties submitted a joint parliamentary list after the previous elections, with some of the positions on the PDM list strictly reserved for UPM members. Ngaringombe charged that UPM members cannot continue serving in the National Assembly on a PDM ticket while they have shown that their allegiance lies elsewhere.

Since the pact was signed on 28 August 2019, Ngaringombe said it only expires on 28 August 2024.

“UPM will be free to form any alliance with any political party after the termination of the agreement. In fact, PDM would not have had any issue if UPM informed PDM that the agreement should terminate by 28 August,” he said.

Money matters

So entrenched was the alliance that UPM’s parliamentary funds for its two seats were paid into the bank account of PDM, who would subsequently transfer it to UPM.

UPM wants the matter to be heard on an urgent basis, claiming the party will lose N$180 000 monthly if its members are not reinstated in the National Assembly.

Ngaringombe argued that the commercial interests or financial hardships of UPM is not reason enough to render the matter urgent. The secretary-general further stated that, in addition to its allegiance commitment to PDM, UPM has a duty of good faith towards that party.