Hertta-Maria Amutenja
Panduleni Itula, the leader of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), said if Namibia does not exercise extreme caution and if the government does not have a comprehensive strategy, the country will experience starvation.
Itula yesterday said the suffering of the people is the manifestation of 33 years’ failure of the Swapo-led government.
“Our people are hungry and we have got real poverty in this country. And if we are not very careful and our government has no contingency plans, we will be facing famine in this country, especially with the failure of the rains in various parts of the country and for the people who rely on agriculture. Our people are thirsty and we have also encountered many people who have no access to clean drinking water,” he said.
He went on to explain that during IPC’S initiative of engaging with rural and urban communities in the country, the party was able to witness firsthand the hardships endured by locals both in rural and urban areas.
This initiative, he said, is to make sure the party is up to date with what is taking place in the country.
“The journey that we have embarked on has brought us very close to the grassroots of the nation and face-to-face with the sufferings of our people. The evidence that we have seen and the people that we met, were extremely painful to absorb We visited over 300 villages and during that journey, we spoke to over 25 traditional leaders because we believe the leaders are the custodians of the culture the people who are the closest to the communities and can assess the suffering and the needs of the people daily much better than the manner which we have proposed through the regional councils,” he said.
Itula further reminisced that during the initiative at Ohangwena region, he was offered drinking water that looked like ginger beer and had a disgusting smell.
“I recall being in Epembe in Ohangwena Region and when I was feeling thirsty, I was given a glass of water which looked like ginger beer. And this is the water which they drink daily including children and the elderly that do not have strong immune systems,” he said.
He also urged the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, and the Office of the Prime Minister to address these needs, claiming that many politicians are much more focused on what is happening in the National Assembly than on the fact that our people are currently in need of food, water, and jobs to make ends meet.
Moreover, he said that political parties only engage the public a few months before the election to solicit votes, which in return has threatened Namibia’s democratic elections in previous years.
He stated that certain political figures even approached the communities to seek support for their internal presidential elections.
