Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro
Less than a month before the Regional and Local Authority elections on November 25, the only visible thing about what voters should expect from those to be voted are fanciful colourful party regalia, singing and dancing jamborees and razzamatazz and empty rhetoric.
But little if any ideological content from most with the exception of one which seem to be ideological clear about its vision in the radical transformation of the City of Windhoek.
Not to mention the fact that many of the candidates at this eleventh hour, and at most of the belated rallies, only been shadows of their presumed seniors in their political formations. This is while voters have been promised this time around better candidates, young, qualified and gifted. Most of the politically anointed candidates, which most seem to be rather than deserving and genuinely aspiring to serve and better thye people, has just been piggybacking on the backs of their presumed seniors.
This certainly does not bode well for improved management of the affairs of the localities and peripheries, most ruins of mismanagement and corruption. One cannot but be reminded of the quote by Dr Martin Luther King in his “I have a dream” speech when he said: “I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
Thus the voters expected to cast their votes, may at this stage be in the dark who to vote for. Because it seems this far the candidates themselves have conspicuously been behind their parties’ seniors for the voters to judge them on their characters and ideologies. Voters have as yet to see during the ongoing campaign, which for that matter have been few and far in between, any political party, formation, association and/or independent candidate distinguishing itself, herself or himself from the rest of the pack, in terms of clear political objectives and vision, for any region, constituency and/or municipality or village council. On the contrary, for most, if not all, it has been the same old chorus.
A chorus with songs that do not rhyme, which seem to have been hurriedly penned and indifferently composed to have any effect on any new voter other than the most loyally blind members. New young voters, as much as some of the candidates themselves may now be young and vibrant, surely cannot deserve the usual empty rhetoric being brandished. Old political compositions, slogans and mumbo jumbo can no longer do the trick. Surely there is a need to now venture into the unchartered waters of ideology. The time of continuing to subject Namibian voters to the same political mumbo jumbo without any ideological meaning simply meant to lure them into an illusive sense of expectation, and hoodwink them into political thievery seems be something of the past. No longer can they count on the votes of the voters based on aging loyalty, fatigued by years of empty promises.
Yours Truly Ideologically wrote recently about the ideological content, or rather lack of ideological content of most of the country’s political parties and associations, both old and new. Convinced that in the absence of ideological conviction, few if none can hope to make a difference in the material well-being of voters. Because there’s no denial that many Namibians, because of the legacy of colonialism and capitalism, remain essentially a deprived people. No measure of political mumbo jumbo and/or political mimicking devoid of ideological content, rooted in realism, shall make the much-needed beginning. First in alleviating the socio-economic miseries inherited from the past, and eventually undo and reverse them.
Such resolve need foremost ideological conviction, as opposed to mere empty political rhetoric motivated by a political culture of substitution. Substitution of candidates from same school of political diatribes. Hence the ideologically nonsensical new political culture of opportunism of independent candidates.
This manifestation itself lately is nothing more than a political culture of substitution cast in independent candidacy, which is far from an ideological paradigm shift but pure opportunism. Most if not all of the independent candidates are usually disgruntled renegades of one or the other equally ideologically bankrupt political party or formation and/or association and thus without any ideological conviction. Not disgruntled by lack of conviction in these political organisations but by the undemocratic processes of the primaries.
Thus as much their independence has never been any clearer or distinct from the mother political parties or formation. Even for those candidates not necessarily hailing from any previous political party or formation, their ideological grounding, thus distinguishing them from currents parties or formations, have also been ideologically suspect if not altogether ideologically incoherent, inconsistent and incongruent if not completely ambivalent.
The day of reckoning is fast approaching and as the forthcoming elections shall demonstrate and prove, only the ideologically clear, convinced and committed shall reap the fruits of an reawakened electorate.
