Party says international membership offers access to governing experience, policy expertise and political networks, but no direct funding
Desmarius Hansen
The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) says its admission to an international federation of liberal political parties will give it access to political networks, policy expertise and governing experience as Namibia prepares to enter the oil-producing era.
The opposition party was admitted as a full member of Liberal International during the organisation’s 65th Congress, held in Bangkok and Taipei from 2 to 6 November 2026.
IPC National General Secretary Christine !Aochamus said the membership would allow the party to learn from political movements that have experience in government, legislation and institutional development.
In an interview with Windhoek Observer, !Aochamus said full membership gives IPC a seat and a vote within the international federation, as well as opportunities to engage other political parties on policy development and governance.
“Some of them are in government and some, like us, are in opposition. We can now pick up the phone and ask how they wrote a law, how they trained their councillors, and how they prepared to govern,” she said.
She said the membership would also provide training opportunities for young leaders, parliamentarians and party officials.
However, !Aochamus stressed that the affiliation does not come with financial benefits.
“It does not come with a cheque. It comes with knowledge, contacts and people who will speak up when democracy is under pressure,” she said.
The party’s admission places it alongside established African political organisations within Liberal International, including South Africa’s Democratic Alliance, Kenya’s Orange Democratic Movement and Zambia’s United Party for National Development.
The federation promotes democracy, the rule of law, individual freedoms, free markets and international cooperation.
For IPC, one of the immediate areas where it hopes to apply lessons from its international connections is Namibia’s emerging oil and gas industry.
With the country positioning itself as a future oil producer, !Aochamus said Namibia could use a learning opportunity.
“Other countries have been there before us, and some got it right while others lost a generation of wealth. We can now sit with the people who wrote those laws and bring the lessons home,” she said.
She added that the party also intends to draw on international experiences in trade, employment creation and clean governance, with the intention of translating relevant lessons into parliamentary questions, motions and legislation.
“The honest answer is that membership alone does not change anybody’s life. What we do with it will,” !Aochamus acknowledged.
She said Namibians should ultimately assess the value of the affiliation through the party’s work and its ability to translate international exposure into meaningful policy proposals.
IPC said its membership reinforces principles already enshrined in Namibia’s Constitution, particularly democracy, constitutionalism, the rule of law and the protection of fundamental freedoms.
