Stefanus Nashama
Political analysts and opposition parties have questioned the merits of so many groundbreaking ceremonies officiated by political office bearers, especially during the election year.
The latest planned events are the groundbreaking ceremony of the Nakabolelwa-Mbalasinte-Kasika road, the Impalila Island (Machenje crossing point), the Kasika border post and staff accommodation all in the Zambezi Region.
The events are planned for Friday 27 September and Monday 30 September and will be officiated over by deputy prime minister and minister of works and transport, John Mutorwa, minister of home affairs, immigration safety and security, Albert Kawana and Kabbe South constituency councillor, John Likando.
Political analyst Henning Melber on Wednesday said election campaigning seems to be the season for so-called groundbreaking ceremonies by politicians.
According to Melber, such ceremonies are a loaded term, suggesting something far beyond business as usual.
“Officiating at new projects is a regular and common matter, which does not require the attendance of three highest-ranking political office bearers, at least not in ordinary times. They should spend time and energy in the execution of more meaningful duties,” he said.
According to Melber, the presence of these office bearers at groundbreaking events does not add any value to governance.
“Their presence at such events does not add any value to governance and delivery of services but is a waste of time and money for propaganda ahead of the next elections. Given that the events are on Friday and Monday, it also merits the question of how they are logistically combined: Do the ministers stay the weekend in the region, or are they travelling twice between there and Windhoek?” he questioned.
Melber stated that both cases of the ministers require more finances, which should be spent on more useful activities.
“Transparency and accountability invite for disclosing the arrangements and costs involved, assuming that is not Swapo funding the participation in these events as part of the election campaign,” he said.
Political science graduate, Sakaria Johannes is of the opinion that the ministers as politicians are using state resources to campaign through the so-called groundbreaking ceremonies.
“We did not see them doing the same thing over the past four years. Where were they when it was not time for elections?” he questioned.
Johannes further questioned the number of events officiated by ministers and politicians last year.
“Why is the effort so much this time compared to other times? And when do these ministers get time to serve in offices?” he asked.
He said that many people do not realize that such events are being officiated to capture votes.
Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) lawmaker, Maximalliant Katjimune said groundbreaking ceremonies are a waste of money for Swapo politicians to seek votes.
“These groundbreaking ceremonies are an absolute waste of money and an opportunity for SWAPO politicians to campaign for votes. There’s no reason whatsoever why a ceremony worth thousands of dollars should be held just for opening an office,” he said.
Katjimune suggested allocating the funds for these events to other deserving and pressing causes.
Landless People’s Movement (LPM) spokesperson, Lifalaza Simataa believes there is a ploy used by the ruling party to be seen as working.
“We understand the need for the general public to know about what projects are occurring in their communities, but groundbreaking ceremonies are being used to project achievements when the activities have not yet been done,” he said.
Simataa said such an event shouldn’t be a flux for individuals to win votes.
