Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) chief electoral officer Peter Shaama said recently that the ECN during the ongoing voter registration exercise it had then registered 366 036 voters. Which by that time was 21 percent in two weeks. Representing an average of 29 918 registered voters per day during the period 10 to 15 June. With the Khomas region then leading the process with 77 098 registered voters, followed by Ohangwena with 40 122 registered voters. The Zambezi region had registered the least voters (11 381), followed by the regions of Omaheke, Kunene, Hardap and /Karas.
This pace may have been concerning, more so to those aspiring for votes during the upcoming Presidential and National Assembly elections this November. But it is as much of general concern to the Namibian democratic process. Because it may be indicative of either no more interest among the public and would-be voters, especially those who have since the last general registration of voters and/or supplementary registration of voters have turned 18 years and thus qualify to vote in the next election, which is this November. Ordinarily, one would have liked to see more voters being interested in public affairs and thus eager to vote, and especially younger voters to be more interested in whom they entrust with running public affairs, especially how the resources in the country are allocated among the various priorities, given the acute Namibian socio-economic deficit with more resources and/or a bigger portion of the national budget allocation being earmarked to pressing socio-economic needs.
Especially in one way or another securing a better future for the young voters. This the young voters can only ensure if during the current registration process they register and subsequently during the November elections turning out in numbers at the polling stations to cast their votes.
It is not a matter of purely voting but deciding who shall govern the country, including prudently prioritising the finite resources of the country. Ensuring SUCH natural resources are not wholesaled to every Tom, Dick and Harry pretending and posing as an investor.
But unlike currently such natural resources are developed, first and foremost, in the best interest of the country, especially those who after more than 100 years of capitalist colonialism, have been subjected and endured poverty continuing to be entrapped therein as well as exploited economically. With the country’s resources extracted and exploited in the name of investment.
While the citizenry continue to wallop in poverty, backwardness and alienated from the very natural resources of their country, which are supposed in the least to alleviate their poverty. But which in Namibia since independence have been powerless and inconsequential against poverty and inequality.
Certainly, the voters themselves are partly to be blamed for not using their only power, their votes. Either for not using it discretionary by voting for those in the least pretending to have their interests at heart. Or for not using it at all. Because by not registering and voting, more than anything else they are hurting none other but themselves by leaving the affairs of their country, and thus their destiny, in the hands of unscrupulous political vultures. And same their interest and that of the country which is of no genuine intent to most pretentious politicians. Most of them no better than opportunists.
If there’s anything that the Namibian voter must have learnt, and the hard way for that matter, is for continually and perpetually subjecting themselves, year in and year out, to economic hardships and retrogression via the continued exploitation of the country’s natural resources, and their misappropriation and mismanagement.
By none other than the would-be servants of the people but servants to themselves by unashamedly and with impunity siphoning the country’s resources for own exclusive benefit. At worse . Coupled stuffing such resources in bulk in own pockets Fishrot style. While continuing to pretend to serve the people and to be dedicated servants of the people and/or good stateswomen and men.
One cannot but stop short of saying that voters deserve what they get. By being indifference and uninquisitive about the political programmaes of the various pretentious political parties and formations. Because, few if any amongst them have been better than political gimmicks.
With little if any difference in their political programmes and election manifestos. With the content of such being nothing more than fantasies of their political figments and imaginations and trickery. Their content having little to do with the harsh realities of the sufferings and economic exploitation delivered by the capitalist system, which most political parties and formations subscribe to.
Hence, the sluggishness that had been observed with the registration process cannot but partly, if not wholly, be blamed on the political system that has not been delivering and administering to the socio-economic needs of most of the wretched of the country’s capitalists production system. With few if any of the political parties and formations, or at best with most of the pretenders to governance of the country, having had hitherto no an iota of a chance at governing.
Not to mention that none would have had made any difference given their ideological disposition, at best their ideological myopia.
While the Swapo Party of Namibia that has been governing the country since independence in 1991, has no track record to speak of, in the least in terms of poverty alleviation and at best in terms of radical socio-economic transformation. With a few months left before the November elections, Namibia has as yet to see and hear any inspiring message from any of the political pretenders.
Because simply put few if any of them possesses if only the necessary political charisma, leadership acumen, stateswoman and/or –manship. Not to mention their lack of vision and shallowness and/or pretentious political programmes and election manifestos, if their past manifestos are anything to go by.
Be that as it may be, this is and cannot be any reason not to register and ultimately not to vote in November. Not registering and voting is simply running the risk of continuing to leave the country in the hands of kleptomaniacs, economic saboteurs, and political pretenders and worse betrayers of the noble cause of the struggle of the workers still craving for economic emancipation.
