Since the official announcement of the presidential and national elections by the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) on the 30th of November last year, the local media, both the traditional mainstream media, printed and broadcast, as well as the social media, has seen a mixed bag of congratulations and exasperation.
Punctuated by celebrations with praise-singing for President-elect Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, popularly and gloriously dubbed NNN by the media, dubbing that seems indeed to have received the popular approval at large of her Swapo Party of Namibia, of which she was the presidential candidate. As for the party diehards, membership, supporters, sympathisers, believers, fanatics, and loyalists—you name them. Not to forget the party’s hibernators and hangers-on.
This euphoria, craze and excitement—call it what you wish—have been continuing and mark my word, it shall undoubtedly be continuing for the foreseeable future, barring the outcome of the court challenge by some political parties, which started on Wednesday, disputing the authenticity of the election results. But all these may come to pass sooner or later. Then it would, as per NNN’s own election mantra, perhaps be “business unusual.”.
It is exactly the mantra of “business unusual” that Yours Truly Ideologically is and has been inclined to put a premium on and emphasise. Especially “business unusual” regarding radical economic transformation, in the least and as a crucial jump starter for establishing the necessary foundation. Because ultimately radical economic transformation per se is meaningless without addressing the structural imbalance inherent in the status quo. This status quo is the capitalist mode of production, which is fundamentally structured in a way as to not benefit the ordinary Namibian citizen. As opposed to continuing to facilitate the extraction of the country’s natural resources. This is not done for the benefit of the most deserving ordinary, downtrodden Namibian citizens. But for the profit of the would-be and so-called investors. So-called investors, because rather than being mere and simple, and if you wish, pure investors, such are and have been no more than plunderers and looters of the country’s natural resources
at best, if investment can better be seen and referenced in any better way than this.
“Congratulations, President NNN! Now, Honest Work,” reads the editorial of one of the local dailies early last December, shortly after the official announcement of the election results last November. Typical of most of the editorials that the media was and has been replete with. “Mbumba leads tributes for Nandi-Ndaitwah historic win,” another English daily joined the bandwagon reporting on Namibia’s current first citizen weighing in on the tributes. With another article in the same daily screaming, “Time to deliver on promises.” ”African leaders congratulate ‘Meekulu Kaadona’ on becoming president,” yet another article’s headline screamed, cataloguing yet another tribute read with another article headlined “NNN to usher Namibia’s new era,” echoed the optimism of many, predominantly Swapo lovers and/or supporters, adherents to and believers in its exploits.
Some of the headlines could not and do not escape the reflections of Yours Truly Ideologically. Like “Time to deliver on promises” and “NNN to usher Namibia’s new era.” For even in the New Year, one has been discerning more tributes to NNN, ones anchored more on hope rather than believe that she would deliver to their expectations and that of the country, whatever such expectations may be, and as per her electioneering promises underlined by “business unusual.”
“NNN has rekindled hope for the future,” reads a headline of a recent opinion piece in the New Year. “…the nation, especially young people, cast a vote that renewed hope for a brighter future in the Namibian house where no one would be left out,” the opinion writer qualifies the headline.
Yours Truly Ideologically, one cannot but take note of “renewed hope”, which gives the impression that somehow along the way hope was on the wane, if not only among the youth among the citizenry. There is a persistent expectation that the Swapo Party will fulfil its election promises consistently. The onus now rests on NNN to deliver not only on her own promises and those of her Swapo Party, but also on the deficit of the election promises made by her predecessors year after year since independence 34 years ago. Indeed a tall order for NNN! But as much as her predecessors have never seemed to deliver on their promises, what reason is there that this time around NNN shall break with the tradition of non-delivery of the Swapo Party and its administrations, if only in the perception and belief of many, except the Swapo loyalists? Unless during the long period she has been a Swapo in one or the other capacity, she has been proven otherwise. It is not enough to say that she has not been in charge during this perio
d. Yes, she may not have been the president, but she has been one of its principal leaders. The Swapo Party remains the same Swapo Party that her forerunners were in charge of and equally there’s nothing to make one believe that with NNN at the helm of the country, it would be a different animal and the country a different country, especially politically and economically. NNN needs to prepare for this reality. However, the more pressing reality lies in the prevailing mode of production, which is capitalism. During her electioneering, NNN has made no mention of the possibility that her “business unusual” approach, once in power, could turn out to be nothing more than a bluff. Nowhere in the Swapo 2024 manifesto does it say “business unusual, with capitalism in Namibia.” Not in terms of overhauling it but in the interim starting to erode its exploitative capitalist structures to ultimately tear them asunder.
