Erasmus Shalihaxwe
The United People’s Movement (UPM) has been struggling to attract the youth to take up positions within the party structures due to a lack of interest in politics.
UPM president, Jan van Wyk revealed this during an interview with the Windhoek Observer while outlining the party’s plans for the November elections.
He said that even though there has been a slight change in the number of young people joining the party, they are still behind when compared to other political parties.
“Until recently, the UPM had a problem getting the youth into its ranks. We see a change as more young people join. However, a lack of leadership among the youth is of concern, especially when it comes to taking on their counterparts on bread and butter issues,” he said.
Van Wyk said the party elected a new leadership in 2022, and despite a lack of experience, the leadership steered UPM in the right direction to become active in national issues.
The party’s move to align with the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) during the 2019 National Assembly elections was short-lived.
This, van Wyk said, led to the party not carrying out its activities and objectives effectively.
“The UPM opened its first regional office in the Omusati region in January 2024, which is a milestone for the new UPM leadership. With little resources, the UPM has also provided free secretarial services to unemployed youth in search of jobs. It has contributed extensively to soup kitchens in various towns and assisted three students with registration fees at tertiary institutions,” he said.
The former parliamentarian revealed that the party is currently in the process of paying N$2 340 000 in legal fees incurred in its legal battle with PDM after being removed from parliament.
The party broke its ties with the PDM after announcing its support for independent presidential candidate Ally Angula.
“The UPM Central Committee, during April 2023, directed that an amount of N$ 100 000 be allocated to the UPM Election Crusade, with a further N$ 500 000 for election day. However, a huge amount went into legal costs after the UPM was unconstitutionally removed from the National Assembly by the PDM. The UPM stands to lose N$ 2 340 000.00 due to the action of the PDM, which makes it difficult for the UPM,” he stressed.
Van Wyk said the party was founded after realizing southerners had been used as voting cows.
He claimed that because people now have a party that genuinely represents their interests, those days are over.
