Quotes: "The sudden assertion of human criteria within a dehumanising framework of political manipulation can be like a flash of lightning illuminating a dark landscape
- Vaclav Havel"
MANIFESTO of The Republican Party of Namibia
The Republican Party of Namibia acknowledges God, the Trinity, as the
Sovereign creator of the universe, who has entrusted to humanity the right and
responsibility to rule over the affairs of the world.
Source: Founding Statement (Art. 2)
The Republican Party of Namibia believes that Namibia must be a nation in
submission to the Almighty God. The Republic Party believes in a constitutional state
that promotes Christian moral values and as such rejects the concept of Namibia as a
secular state.
The Republican Party will strive to mobilize all Namibian citizens, regardless of race
and ethnic origin, bound by common democratic values, to exercise their fundamental
right of participation in all governmental institutions and processes in order to:
• Uphold the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia
• Strive tirelessly towards the achievement of freedom and equality and the
eradication of all forms of corruption, suppression, unfair preference and nepotism.
• Promote improved human relations and national reconciliation
• Secure peace, security and stability by means of social, economic and human
development. Source: Program of Principles (Art 3)
Amendments to the Constitution
The RP will oppose any irresponsible and politically motivated amendments
to the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia as well as any effort to infringe
upon the fundamental rights enshrined in Chapter 3 of the Constitution.
Unemployment and Poverty
The Republican Party will strive to eradicate poverty and address the failure of
the Swapo government to manage the unacceptable and ever increasing rate of
unemployment among all sections of the population. The Republican Party shall
apply all its efforts:
• To have a Ministry for Employment Creation & Poverty Reduction established, with
employment creation units in all major centres across Namibia.
• To have a credible database developed country wide in order to determine the true
level of poverty in rural as well as urban areas.
• To initiate, support and subsidize sustainable, labour intensive development
projects throughout the country. This will be done in every town and village to
stimulate economic growth by creating desperately needed jobs.
• To ensure preference to be given to the least developed and poorest regions
i.e. Kavango, Caprivi and Karas regarding development projects, infrastructure
development and provision of basic services like running water, electricity and
sewerage reticulation to urban households and rural villages.
• To identify markets locally, regionally and internationally where the goods
produced and manufactured at these projects can be sold;
• To ensure that preference be given to local companies in the awarding of
government tenders and contracts.
• To encourage foreigners in any field of expertise, who want to transfer their skills
to our people, to come to Namibia and assist us in empowering our people and by
doing so strengthening our economy,
• To place an immediate embargo on the seemingly uncontrolled influx of Chinese
and other internationals who do not make any contribution towards skills transfer
and capacity building.
• To introduce tax- and other incentives for private companies and farmers, to
encourage them to employ more workers.
• To ensure that Local and Regional authorities provide work for the informal sector
through the execution of small, labour intensive projects.
• To have land and processing facilities provided in the areas where informal
enterprises could contribute to urban agriculture.
• To establishment small and medium enterprises by revising and updating current
outdated by-laws and regulations rather than suppressing initiatives.
• To have the Local authorities subsidize basic services like water and electricity of
pensioners and those who prove that they cannot pay.
Housing
The Republican Party shall apply all its efforts:
• To ensure that Local and Regional Authorities speedily supply the demand for
fully serviced (water, electricity and sewerage) erven and to make these erven
available at the lowest possible prices for the low and medium income housing
market.
• To ensure that Local and Regional Authorities introduce policies and regulations
that will remove unnecessary red-tape and simplify the process of approving
building plans.
• To ensure that financial and technical assistance be made available to local and
regional authorities for the construction of affordable housing for the low income
groups
• To develop a National Housing Development Program in conjunction with
stakeholders in the public and private sector and to create a National Housing
Fund allowing the poor and unemployed to be assisted.
• To develop an Employers’ Assistance Scheme (EAS) that will partner with the
Development Bank of Namibia to encourage private companies and employers to
assist with the provision of affordable houses for their employees by giving either
tax incentives or by providing loans at subsidized rates, as is currently the case
with commercial farmers through the Agribank.
• To encourage property developers to provide houses at affordable prices, not
only by subsidizing their labour cost, but also to introduce tax incentives for the
developers.
Education and Training
80% of Namibians are said to be Christians, therefore the Republican Party will stive
to have the entire Education System adapted to ensure that our education system is
based on Christian principles with Christian Science as a subject and daily devotion
to be instituted at all schools.
The Republican Party shall apply all its efforts:
• To involve all stakeholders in creating a more adequate Namibian education
system. The consequence of the current system is resulting in inferior degrees,
diplomas and certificates that is unacceptable and utterly frustrating.
• To ensure that learners are taught moral values and that they understand that
they have to accept the responsibilities that are expected from citizens and future
leaders of our country, such as self-reliance, self-confidence, curiosity, creativity
and empowerment.
• To convince the authorities that more emphasis must be put on the teaching of
mathematics, science, languages and history.
• To have more technical schools established for those learners who would prefer a
more practically orientated education rather than a pure academic one.
• To make pre-primary free of charge and in case where the parents cannot afford it,
to have primary education subsidized by government.
• To encourage the appointment of competent, well-trained, qualified and
responsible school principals and teachers, able to manage their respective
schools responsibly,
• To convince government to employ Namibia’s own qualified and experienced
teachers and other experts in education to draw up syllabi and avoid using costly
foreign consultants.
• To have the current BETD-program reviewed and upgraded to be in line with the
requirements of the SADC tertiary education institutions as this will facilitate a
smooth transition for those who pursue further studies in the SADC region.
• To propose incentives that will encourage teachers to further their studies and
obtain higher qualifications.
• To provide decent and affordable housing to the teachers in rural areas.
• To ensure that none of the Namibian education institutions will discriminate against
any Namibian child wanting to attend pre-primary, primary, secondary, vocational,
polytechnic and university education for whatever reason.
Land Reform & Resettlement
Land is a scarce, valuable and non-renewable natural resource. Land should not on
be seen as wealth in itself but rather as an instrument for wealth creation. National
resources with special reference to mineral-, fishing resources and agricultural land
must be utilized productively wisely and responsibly Once the resource is destroyed
it will result in the decrease of production, job opportunities and economic activity.
Leaving all Namibians disadvantaged.
The Republican Party shall use all its efforts to:
• To assist in the compilation of a feasible and sustainable Land Reform Policy
through public consultation with stakeholders including farm workers who are now
being evicted from farms acquired by the government.
• To ensure that the land reform strategy is coherent, consistent and is done
strictly in terms of the provisions/stipulations of the Namibian Constitution. At all
instances it must be in the public interest, which according to our understanding
means that it must benefit Namibia economically.
• To ensure that the policy will contribute to alleviating poverty and not aggravating
it, for example resettled farmers should not be allowed to retrench any of the farm
workers who used to work on the farm.
• To encourage the development of a sustainable program through which the
government will provide the necessary technical assistance and training for
beginner farmers, in cooperation with the Agricultural Unions and with their
respective Farmers’ Unions.
• To encourage the government to provide financial support to those beginner
farmers who are not in possession of enough livestock, for them to utilize their
farms optimally and to contribute to the economy of the country.
• To convince the Government that farms acquired for resettlement should be used
for beginner farmers as the first step towards ownership of a farm and not as a
dumping ground where beginner farmers are condemned to endless poverty.
• To encourage Government to have the damage done by resettled farmers restored
as a first priority and to treat that land as a non-renewable natural resource.
• To ensure that the policy of willing buyer / willing seller is respected.
• To ensure that market related prices are paid for the land.
• To have the condition waived whereby commercial farmers who want to sell
their farms, first have to offer their farms to the government. Those commercial
farmers should be allowed to withdraw their offer to sell their farms, should the
price offered by government not meet with the farmers expectations. It should be
obvious by now that these conditions only resulted in the increase of farm prices,
putting it beyond the ability of new beginner farmers to acquire land, even through
the Affirmative Action Loan Scheme.
• To encourage commercial farmers in possession of excessive land to sell it to the
government.
• To ensure that formerly disadvantaged persons who would like to become farmers,
be selected very carefully on the basis of their potential and capacity to ensure
that they could become productive farmers who will properly utilize the land
allocated to them.
• To ensure that all allocated farming units which are not productively utilized or
leased out illegally, be seized by the state, re-advertised and allocated to those
who are serious and committed to use the land productively.
• To introduce policies through which the agricultural wealth of communal areas can
be brought closer into the formal economy by rewarding protection of occupancy,
security of investment and equitable infrastructural development.
Minority Groups
Although the Republican Party has accepted ethnicity as a fact that cannot
be ignored, we will at no stage support the institutionalisation of ethnicity, or a
government based on ethnicity.
We are seriously concerned about obvious discrimination against minority groups
resulting in some groups finding themselves at a disadvantage when it comes to
employment in the civil service, resettlement and development of communal areas.
The Republican Party will not tolerate any discrimination especially when it comes to
employment opportunities in Government Ministries and State Owned Enterprises,
resettlement and land distribution.
Affirmative Action
The Republican Party fully supports the provision in our Constitution enabling
Government to enact legislation providing directly or indirectly for the advancement
of persons who have been socially, economically or educationally disadvantaged.
Unfortunately it was/is not done in accordance with the letter and spirit of the
Constitution.
The Swapo Government has based its Affirmative Action program on groups and
ethnic differences, which without any doubt, has lead to blatant discrimination on the
basis of race, colour or ethnicity. It is no secret that the ruling party is hiding behind
government’s Affirmative Action policies to employ their own comrades and friends in
positions for which they are not qualified.
The result is a Government littered with employees who are totally incompetent with
the result that in many if not all ministries and State Owned Enterprises there is very
little evidence of quality service delivery, but has only opened the door for large scale
corruption.
• A Republican Party government will not allow any form of discrimination and will
treat every Namibian purely on merit. We will do whatever is necessary to have
the policy of Affirmative Action abolished as soon as possible.
Natural Resources
Natural resources form the basis of wealth-creation, wealth which could be shared
by the entire population and more in particular by the poor and the needy. If natural
resources are not utilized wisely and productively it could result in only a small
percentage of the population benefiting, as is currently the situation.
Hundreds of thousands of Namibians depend on wealth created through the
productive utilization of natural resources, but the majority of them are being
negatively affected resulting in an increased level of unemployment.
Non-renewable natural resources such as minerals, fish, water and land are limited
and irreplaceable and should be exploited responsibly and in the interests of the
entire population. Handing out concessions to individuals on other grounds than merit
will be robbing the Nation of these sources of wealth. The receiver of a fishing or
mineral concession and/or mining licenses should not be the only beneficiary but the
population at large should benefit from the responsible and economical exploitation of
these resources.
• The Republican Party will therefore strive to promote sustainable, equitable and
efficient use of Namibia’s natural resources to improve its profitability.
• The Republican Party will also strive to convince the government not to allow local
individuals and companies, who clearly do not have the resources, to be partnered
with international companies in order for the international companies to obtain
mining and fishing licenses. In cases like this we would encourage the government
to take up a large percentage of shares and to utilize the profits generated to uplift
the living conditions of the poor.
Corruption
Corruption is an evil and a sickness that has been allowed to root itself in Namibia
and as long as it is evident, will continue to have a devastating impact on the social,
economic and political development of the country. It is well-known that corruption
thrives when decision-making is unclear and arbitrary, when there is a lack of
accountability and where the Government fails to introduce effective and adequate
control measures. Unfortunately Namibia’s bad governance is putting the country in
this dismal situation.
It is a pity that those who have expected to be liberated from oppression and poverty,
the poor and unemployed, are particularly the ones who suffer most due to the high
level of corruption.
The high level of corruption in Namibia has caused a lack of resources and thus
caused the Swapo government to fail in ensuring that Namibia’s resources are spend
on activities and productive programs that would promote growth, such as primary
education and basic health care, which promote economic growth. Such spending
would benefit the poor and unemployed tremendously. Swapo is would rather be
distracted by large procurement projects like the State House, Government office
blocks, aircraft purchasing as well as arms and defence contracts
It has long been evident that elections in Namibia are not free and fair because
the Swapo Government continuously tries to consolidate its political power and will
do everything possible to reduce political competition. The result therefore is that
political development has been distorted and delayed and transparency of political
decision-making is being neglected.
The Republican Party has the political will to fight corruption and we will do whatever
necessary to ensure:
• That the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACC) be allowed to, effectively and without
interference, audit and monitor institutions and persons.
• That the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACC) be able to appoint non-corrupt policing and
detective personnel
• That the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACC) has access to a non-corrupt judicial
system, including the Minister and officials.
Persons with Disabilities, Vulnerable Children and Orphans
The Republican Party shall apply all its efforts:
• To create a Ministry that will exclusively deal with the plight of the person with
disability, vulnerable children and orphans. To ensure that the persons with
disabilities enjoy equal status and respect when it comes to the employment,
sporting events, allocation of tenders, promotions, resettlement and housing
acquisition.
• To ensure that the vulnerable children and the orphans receive free medical care,
and education to be subsidized by the state.
• To ensure that government infrastructures are accessible to the persons with
disabilities and to facilitate the organizations and associations of the people with
disabilities.
Health
The Swapo government inherited an excellent health infrastructure at Independence,
but allowed it to deteriorate to the point where our hospitals and theatres have
become so dilapidated. It will cost millions to repair because it is obvious that
very little, if any maintenance has been performed on state hospitals and hospital
pharmacies are no longer stocked with the required medicines with the result that
many patients, rather opt to go to private hospitals at great cost.
The Republican Party shall apply all its efforts:
• To ensure that all state hospitals and clinics be well maintained and properly
equipped
• To ensure hospital- and clinic pharmacies are consistently equipped with the
required medicine
• To ensure that priority is given to Namibian nurses and sisters to be employed
and trained and for them to meet with international standards and be remunerated
accordingly
• To ensure that those Namibians who cannot afford medical services (the poor,
unemployed and pensioners) be subsidized by the government
• To ensure that only medical doctors, nurses and sisters be appointed who can
properly speak the National language in order to be able to communicate with the
patients and therefore make the correct diagnosis
Black Economic Empowerment
The Republican Party of Namibia wholeheartedly welcomes the economic
empowerment of the previously disadvantaged fellow Namibians. The concept
of Black Economic Empowerment was supposed to be a vehicle to economically
empower the previously disadvantaged Namibians, but it has been proven to be
deficient and elitist.
The current Black Economic Empowerment scheme did not actually seek to reduce
poverty or to distribute resources equally among the economically disenfranchised
sector of the Namibian society, but was an economic strategy aimed at creating a
black capitalist class and not an anticipated black egalitarian society.
Despite its laudable intentions, BEE initiative failed to address the basic requirement
of wealth redistribution amongst the nation as a whole.
The Republican Party has the political will to fight corruption and we will do whatever
necessary to ensure:
• That the BEE includes the empowerment of all black citizens of Namibia, including
the workers, women, the youth, people living with disabilities and those living in
the rural areas and not only the middle class.
• That BEE addresses the expansion of enterprises so as to create more
employment opportunities for the ordinary citizens, the workers and the rural
communities.
• That BEE increases the number of competent and technically skilled black people
who own and manage enterprises and productive assets, while enabling the
ownership, control and management of enterprises and productive assets by black
communities, workers, cooperatives and other collectives.
• That BEE charters and codes of good practice should be developed on
consultative basis by stakeholders with the br oarder civil society formations and
comply with the national policy.
• That communities and the civil society formations actively participate in the
appointment of trustees and other aspects of administering and managing
such empowerment scheme in the same capacity as shareholders of private
companies.
• The BEE deals invest in the productive sectors of the Namibian economy and
should be built around the development and reconstruction programmes of the
country.
• The private sector should recognized their collective obligations and play
a vital role to invest in the country and assist the national government in
achieving development goals and should increase affords for real and effective
empowerment.
DTA of Namibia Manifesto
Manifesto
Policy Statement
Mission
The DTA of Namibia is a political party which arises from and is rooted in the cultural multiplicity of the people of Namibia, with the fundamental aim to advance and maintain peace and prosperity and to achieve national unity based on a multi-party democracy.
Vision
The DTA of Namibia has served and continues to serve all the people of Namibia. If elected to government it will actively address the situation in which our young people find themselves – ineffective education and unemployment that leads to growing poverty and a lack of hope for the future. The DTA will put in place workable policies and plans to create jobs throughout the country, fight crime and corruption by fighting poverty and unemployment, and provide education that will equip young people for the real working world.
SWANU (South West Africa National Union) Manifesto Elections 2009
SWANU (South West Africa National Union) Manifesto Elections 2009
Issued by Order of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee
1. Democracy And Human Rights
2. Decentralisation And The Land Transformation
3. Governance And Public Service Delivery
4. Maintain and improve the quality of public admin and public services
5. The Fight against corruption
6. Foreign Relations and Globalization
7. The Poverty Situation
8. Economic And Social Development
Democracy And Human Rights
On a scale it is relatively protected, but SWANU would like more to be done in this arena. In SWANU’s view Democracy and Human Rights are intrinsically linked to Development. It is therefore important for the Namibian society to be educationally developed in order to appreciate, value, internalise, inculcate and make democracy and human rights to become part and parcel of our political culture. SWANU is perturbed by the fact that, contrary to the constitutional provision, the office of the Ombudsman, which is supposed to protect our people’s right, has shown a bit of restraint as opposed to activism. Aggrieved members of the society can approach the competent courts to enforce their rights.
a. SWANU proposes a bigger budget to the Legal Aid Directorate or rather elevate Directorate of Legal Aid to a Commission of Legal Aid, parallel to Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN). This is precisely because justice like democracy and rule of law as per Article 1 of the Namibian Constitution are the principles on which the Namibian state is established.
b. SWANU proposes an office of Legal Parliamentary Commissioner to assist in the protection of rights since the Attorney General is partisan and more inclined towards the government of the day.
c. It is SWANU view that consolidation of democracy should start with intra- and inter party relations. Political consultative forums on issues of national sensitivity or extreme importance must be encouraged. These could include issues such as secessionism, natural calamities (droughts, floods, etc), deployment of troops in foreign countries for combat purposes, constitutional amendments, and so forth.
d. Swanu proposes the establishment of a parliamentary tribunal to which MPs can be subjected and be accountable to.
Decentralisation And The Land Transformation
t is SWANU’s submission that decentralised services and functions must be taken to all rural and regional areas (where more than 70% of our population lives). Decentralisation must be matched by financial investment in the form of Marshall Plan in order to address the skewed, unequal distribution of resources to regions and rural-based people.
The desired outcomes that should emanate from decentralisation include:
i.) Enhanced standards of living.
ii.) Visible changes in quality of education and health.
iii.) Retention of skilled personnel that hailed from those regions and/ or attraction of adequately qualified personnel to regions to curb the rural-urban migration.
iv.) Measurable improvements in agro-industrial and other economic activities in the regions.
v.) Total elimination in crimes and corruption in those areas (regions) as it is expected that security and police services must be part of decentralisation scheme.
vi.) Sustainable development as proxied by several indicators including, enhanced regional incomes from own resources and activities, number and quality of development projects, reduction in rural-urban migration.
It is SWANU’s view that the land was the central pillar of the struggle for liberation. In the Namibian context, some people were defused, disposed, displaced and disadvantaged.
a. The programme of land acquisition must be based on the number of people who need land and also when this is translated into number of families.
b. The acquisition must be assisted by benchmark tariffs that are set by farm regulatory bodies that should be established for that purpose. The benchmark tariffs must be based on Namibia agro-ecological zoning.
c. The land acquisition must be done in the public interest. Once acquisition has been achieved there should be resettlement criteria that are not ambiguous and do not favour those who have opportunities of buying farms through other schemes.
d. Communities that have been disposed, displaced, disadvantaged and robbed of ancestral land by colonialists must enjoy priority in land redistribution. Affirmative Action must apply here, too
Governance And Public Service Delivery
The public service since its inception in 1990 has not changed to proceed with new demands such as recruiting people who have attained highest qualifications. Even in few cases where highest qualifications are entertained, notches given do not commensurate and are not comparable with the investment made to secure those qualifications.
When calls were made to provide jobs for comrades only there was no single statement from Public Service Commission or the Office of the Prime Minister under which the Commission falls. Such moves whether implemented or not are against the Namibian Constitution, that on the basis of the 1982 Constitutional Principles, endeavoured to promote restructured and balanced society in the public service, police and defence force.
SWANU endeavours to maintain and improve the quality of public administration and public services in Namibia by:
a. recruiting in the public service on the basis of relevant, skilled and adequately trained personnel, within the framework of Affirmative Action.
b. instituting professionalism in the public service and observe high ethical moral values and commitments.
c. transforming the public service into a structure that is non-partisan, neutral, impartial and independent entity that is supposed to serve any government that is elected to power without prejudice, fear or favour.
d. SWANU shall endeavour to reward civil servants salaries that are commensurate with the Namibian standard of living in order for them to be efficient, effective, reliable and competent.
e. SWANU is totally opposed to the imposition of SWAPO Election Manifesto on the civil servants as it is currently the practice. This document in its current form has no legal basis in the public service.
f. SWANU is of the view that the continued application of Affirmative Action in the public service is not morally wrong but it is also subject to litigation if it continues unabated for many years without a time limit. The section of our born-free generation will be punished forever and it will not be fair in a country that is anchored on a principle of justice.
The Fight against corruption
Our preliminary observation at the moment is that our people are indoctrinated with values of individualism that are contrary to the doctrine of African communalism. The economic system of mixed economy in which the pendulum is tilting more to capitalist economy is partly encouraging corrupt practices. Corruption is enhanced by private greed at the expense of public pain. The current skewness in access to the national socio-economic opportunities and resources is encouraging corruption and shall be stopped.. SWANU shall:
a. introduce morals of caring, sharing, solidarity and comradeship in the society as antidote to greediness.
b. do everything in its power to unearth the underlying causes of corruption.
c. strengthen the legal system including the prisons and correctional services and make it more responsive to anticipate and prevent corrupt practices.
d. strengthened and or restrict Governance and accountability institutions and instruments, such as Public Accounts Committee State Finance Act, Office of the Auditor General and Office of the Ombudsman.
Foreign Relations and Globalization
Namibia needs to respect the positions and views of sovereign governments and their people, and, therefore, maintain cordial bilateral and multilateral relations. It must also be realised that Namibia cannot be neutral in international affairs. Namibia should pursue agenda with other countries that will contribute to its economic, social and political developments while cognizant of the fact that its own existence is anchored on the principles of democracy, the rule of law and justice for all. SWANU, as a matter of principle, would not have any problem if Namibia tries to influence other countries in SADC, AU and globally to act in line with provisions which are similar and/or closer to its own constitutional provisions and to enforce international conventions that are legally binding on it as a state, once it has ratified them.
We need to redefine our relations in certain areas, such as:
1. being clearer about our official position vis-à-vis Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people.
2. our position regarding the reparations for the genocide because we cannot continue to receive the so-called technical aid (assistance) at the expense of compensation for our lost blood, assets and dignity at the hands of colonial Germany.
3. our position regarding the African dictators and kleptocrats that continue to enslave, impoverish, exploit, and violate the dignities of our fellow Africans. The position of Swanu will be made clearer on these issues as we cannot tolerate nor keep silent on such annihilating transgressions.
SWANU believes that Namibia should pursue:
. i) Interests that will protect humanity.
ii.) Interests that will help bring about socio-economic and dignified development and peace to Africa .
iii.) Interests that are of regional relevance for harmonization and mutual benefits.
iv.) Interests that will place the welfare of Namibia as a nation above interests of individuals, clans, ethnic groups or regions.
v.) Interests that will aid Namibia and its people to prosper in socio-economic terms, have equal access to opportunities and take the fastest route to development in general.
It should be clear that without government intervention inequality due to private greed and inspection of the market, the poor will remain poor. Therefore government must come quickly and urgently to the aid of the poor. As a country we must redefine the economic system we are pursuing because, with this market economy system we have been pursuing since independence, the plight of the majority has worsened.
The Poverty Situation
Government must realise that it has inherited a weak state that was colonised, and in which Apartheid was legalised. It is therefore of paramount importance to recognise the fact that the majority of our people have no shelter, food or clothing. Consequently, their well-being cannot and should not be left to the market forces to dictate. In the interest of the majority of our people, government must intervene to arrest the situation.
The current government has failed over the last twenty years to reduce poverty. Therefore SWANU once voted into power in order to eliminate NOT reduce poverty shall:
i.) Increase in pension payouts.
ii.) Invest in rural projects.
iii.) Establish a Youth Unemployment and Job-Seeking Fund.
iv.) Write-off those exorbitant rural water bills.
v.) Assist the flood or other natural disaster victims financially, materially including part assistance with housing construction materials.
vi.) Abolish education fees, and establish free and compulsory education.
vii.) Restructure the foreign owned mining and marine industries to partner with general low-income and rural-based cooperatives (communities) in shareholdings.
viii.) Investment in manufacturing industries through partnerships and/or through government owned development institutions will be established to boost employment opportunities. Since Namibia is a vast country, substantive public investments will be made in agricultural projects and by so doing to increase their incomes and to retain people in the rural areas so as to reduce unemployment.
Economic And Social Development
It should facilitate enabling environment for the economy to create wealth and also be instrumental in the process of wealth distribution. Since the current economic policy is based on the principle of mixed economy the State can continue to own entities to be managed on the business principle and then distribute the wealth back to the people!
When SWANU forms the Government, it will:
a. Create opportunities at lower levels for those who did not pass their Grade 12 to gain hands-on skills experience at vocational and technical level. Efforts will also be made to engage in value addition ventures for the purpose of increasing job opportunities.
b. Manufacturing industries will be on the agenda to boost employment opportunities. Since Namibia is a vast country, efforts will be made to engage in agricultural, mining, marine and industrial and technological projects.
c. The criteria for the BEE must first be the poorest of the poor, the most vulnerable and most needy of our society. Then, rural communities and urban poor communities. Thereafter social development institutions such as public health and educational establishments, farming cooperatives, bursary schemes, social medical schemes, and so on. Individuals will come last when the GINI Co-efficient for Namibia has reached a level nearer to zero.
d. SWANU government would give more money to the Development institutions like Development, Agri-Bank and NHE for the creation of manufacturing industries, housing and so on.
Education
The playing field should be levelled at the entry level, which is pre-primary schooling. SWANU government shall fund this component. There shall be an arrangement similar to a ‘Marshall Plan’ in the form of Affirmative Action to invest more in the rural schools and those from formerly disadvantaged communities. Establishment of more vocational schools, polytechnics to cater for vocational and/or professional qualification will be top priorities:
a. SWANU government shall introduce and/or put more emphasis on vocational/professional opportunities for the purpose of encouraging people for industries.
b. The mandate of the Polytechnic to produce more technical graduates as opposed to degree graduates will be strengthened.
c. The current situation of only producing less than 25% from close to 16 000 learners who write school leaving examination, dictates that we have less people who can go to Polytechnic and UNAM , hence the question arises as to whether it is not better to cater for lower levels who would then be production factory for higher levels (Poly and UNAM ).
d. The budget for welfare services (education and health) would be restructured to allocate more for primary health care, pre-primary education and also increase to institutions of high learning, particularly towards research and technical areas.
e. Under the Swanu government, moral and religious education will enjoy more prominence in the school curriculum in order to produce less corrupt and responsible citizens.
Health
SWANU as a party that subscribes to socialism as an antidote to the prevailing situation that condemns our people to the streets would like to see a universal health insurance for all Namibian people that is funded both by the private sector and public sector. Instead of having a system that breed inequality in the welfare sector (health) where 84% of the population is uninsured (but only rely on the state subsidy) and 16% insured through government medical aid scheme and closed and open medical aid scheme,
a. SWANU shall consider introducing Socialized Medicine.
b. SWANU government shall endeavour to increase salaries of health workers and make everything possible to retain them.
c. SWANU government shall invest more in the research of HIV/AIDS as a way of combating the disease. Since, the major transmission is through hetero-sexual activities, sex education will be promoted in schools. More educational programmes will be undertaken to promote the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) and the importance of anti-retro viral medicine ( ART ).
d. Swanu government shall introduce a universal health insurance for all Namibian people that is funded both by the private sector and public sector.
WHY VOTE FOR SWANU?
The Namibian voter should vote for SWANU because:
A. SWANU being socialist, is the only party that instill caring, sharing, solidarity and comradeship as opposed to private greediness. Therefore under SWANU administration, education shall be free and compulsory, healthcare will be socialized and, a Youth unemployment Fund will be established.
B. It is the oldest Party in Namibia and has a track record of impeccable democratic credentials. It is the most democratic party that has clear policies and strategies that are aimed at directly addressing Poverty, Unemployment and Inequality, by increasing pension schemes, writing-off rural water exorbitant debts, assisting rural and poor communities to acquire shares in the mining and marine companies, assisting natural disaster victims financially, and providing materials for housing construction, and so on.
C. It is the only political party in Namibia that undertakes to return the Land, Wealth and Dignity to the deprived Namibian people immediately once voted into power, this will be done by giving priority to the poor and needy in land and wealth distribution.
http://www.swanu.org.na/
