Fritz H. Dausab
The Landless People’s Movement, the second newest political party in Namibia, less then two years old currently has done what many older parties have never achieved. The achievement of winning 12 Regional Councilors and 39 Local Authority Councilors is a loud voice from disenfranchised voiceless in Namibia. The two regions of //Kharas and Hardap are coming of age after 30 years of oppression.
As these winds of change has brought political change in these two regions, in terms of social and economic changes, the Landless People’s Movement have been in tune with its Regional and Local Authority Councilors- guiding them politically whilst at the same time laying down the new norms of the party in regards to ethics, leadership and development. LPM hopes to hit road running in terms of its obligation to restore their people’s dignity- mostly connected to creating jobs for people living in the regions, social upliftment, land redistribution/ resettlement, while creating economic opportunities for residents in these regions.
Political
LPM commands the political managing positions in the regional and most of local authorities, in this way this leadership is obliged to bring in like-minded people from within //Kharas and Hardap regions in the administrative spheres. This will create synarchies between political leadership and administrative arms when it comes to creating and implementing development plans from LPM.
From a political stance, LPM is forced to confront the corrupt and unethical administrators in regional and local authorities when taken over. At the same time LPM is forced to create economic miracles in a short time while not having the backing of National Government of SWAPO.
Social
Ever since 1990, when our first SWAPO governors and administrators were appointed in //Kharas and Hardap regions, these two regions were flooded with people from the north. This lead to unethical appointment of SWAPO people in most decision-making positions; receiving resettlement farms; most of government positions; NHE housing while local councils under SWAPO took a hand-off approach to by-laws to allow shebeens in residential areas. Shebeens in residential areas, reflects the hands-off approach by SWAPO where such businesses are noise polluters for our scholars and workers, non-paying-tax businesses and promotors of alcoholism and low morals in families, while these shebeens import 99% of its workers from the north- in short shebeens are loss to our societies in the South.
Our people after 30 years of SWAPO rule is faced with no employment opportunities, limited study opportunities, limited financial resources to launch SME’s and a fundamentally inferior education system that even discriminates on southern children by removing them from school at certain age while allowing school children in north to finish matric without administrative obstructions.
Economic
Since most of tenders and job opportunities are reserved for people from north and SWAPO members in the south, LPM has the moral obligation to move away from such discriminatory practices of the past 30 years. The people has spoken loud and clear during elections that will restrict the ownership of economic resources to SWAPO, who never had any justification to give equal opportunities towards employment, farm resettlement or study opportunities to locals in //Kharas and Hardap Regions.
The imposing of others to rule over the people of the south, without allowing southerners to management positions in the north has left a sour taste towards SWAPO in these 30 years.
Restoration of 2020-2025
The spirit of restorative justice should be heard loud and clear in //Kharas and Hardap regions for the foreseeable future. The will to give our people the dignity to be employed while not forsaking our youth and young to become responsible citizens. When we talk about restorative justice, LPM will diffuse the current status quo as brought in by former president Nujoma and SWAPO.
While the people have vote for LPM overwhelmingly, these are only political wins, LPM urgently needs to match open positions with educated people from //Kharas and Hardap. All positions by northerners that expires, needs to be assessed according to performance against relevant criteria and same person be kept or replaced by locals. Yet apart from these political surgeries, LPM also needs to get rid of deadwood left by SWAPO system- these are managers in regional or local structure whose qualifications does not match position, or non-performing SWAPO cadres.
Tenders, will need to follow the same accountable path as laid down by LPM from January 2021. This will ensure that local companies will be empowered first, while outside companies will need to form joint ventures with local companies or setup local presences with local employees. In terms of tenders, any company who receives tenders will source locally for material and workers.
As LPM already started with financial and land audits after a week of sworn-in as councilors, the future looks bright to usher in a new term of accountability. All new councilors will be subjected to stringent ethics and leadership training by our partners.
The new term will be a reality check for the ruling elite, where LPM will either proof its people centered leadership, or it will go down as another COD or RDP.
Fritz H. Dausab
Lead Manager: Global affairs and political analyst
