Thread: Swapo dirty tactics unveiled

Just when we thought Namibia had reached a high level of political maturity as a nation, the past few weeks have seen an alarming escalation in acts of election-related violence.

While vigorous campaigns are to be expected in any electoral contest, the violence and intimidation that have occurred in the previous weeks do not bode well for free and fair polls. Our political meetings have been disrupted by SWAPO thugs and militias and our mobilizes have been intimidated country wide. In the worst-affected region, Omusati, several people have been injured and their vehicles damaged in clashes between our supporters and of those of SWAPO.

It all brings back dark memories of the political intolerance and violence of the 1970s and 1980s, at the hands of colonial government under John Voster and P.W .Botha against the Namibia nation.

Such intolerance can only damage the credibility of our elections, making nonsense of Namibia’s claim to be a beacon of democracy on the continent.

While Government and Electoral Commission of Namibia have been quick to point fingers to RDP and SWAPO, they tend to ignore their own responsibility to ensure restraint on the part of SWAPO thugs who initiate violence against RDP activities and members. It is hypocritical for political leaders to cry foul when their members are victims if they fail to discipline the perpetrators in their own ranks.

The SWAPO is on especially shaky ground when it deliberately holds rallies at the same time as those of rival parties so as to steal their thunder. It has employed this strategy in the four O’s regions and Khomas region in particular.

NBC Coverage

RDP calls on the NBC to fulfill its mandate of giving equal and fair coverage to all political parties and not only to its political masters, SWAPO. The latest analysis by IPPR regarding the election coverage shows that from 30 October 2009 to 5 November 2009, 82% of the national broadcaster’s political news coverage was devoted to SWAPO rallies. During that period we held to star 2 Star rallies at Opuwo and Okongo on 31 October 2009 and 1 November 2009 respectively and other five public meetings country wide. We condemn this practice and call on our national broadcaster to deliver on its mandate to the people of being an objective programmer that gives all points of view to the people so they can make their own informed political choice.

NBC has violated and is in contravention of SADC principles and the African Charter guidance governing democratic elections. The guidelines state that there must be equal opportunity for political parties to access state media. And Namibia is signatory to both charters.

Dirty Campaign

Panic stricken SWAPO has launched a secret operation aimed at enticing members of the Rally of Democracy and Progress to return to their fold

“OPERATION COME BACK HOME” – a brainchild of President Pohamba since RDP inception – He has been advocating this strategy to woo members of RDP back to the SWAPO but he failed badly. Subsequently, several prominent business and key RDP leaders have been inundated with overtures from the SWAPO members who promise exorbitant salaries, jobs in the public service and parastatals, cars, livelihood maintenance and lucrative tenders etc.

We have it on good authority that they are busy encouraging SWAPO members to take up RDP and DTA membership cards in order to eventually surrender them at well orchestrated SWAPO final rallies countrywide.

RDP condemns these desperate attempts by the SWAPO and encouraged by the vigilance of its members to have discovered this plots. The launch of the latest campaign follows the failure of the SWAPO’s strategy of parading scores of their own members and claim they were defectors from RDP.

This is another underhanded and morally bankrupt election tactic of SWAPO to offer bribes to our members and leaders in the form of money and high paying positions and continues the SWAPO’s well established tradition of cronyism and corruption. We will not succumb to these sleazy tactics.

This is one of the products of the SWAPO’s war room to rubbish the RDP campaign. The SWAPO has dedicated a number of its leaders to canvass RDP leaders to come back to the SWAPO by luring with money and positions.

As SWAPO sees its national support base being eroded and its political arrogance becomes increasingly obvious to the people of Namibia - they will continue these underhanded tactics.
RDP calls on all Namibians to be vigilant and vote for hope and change now.
Issued: RDP HQ - Windhoek, 12 November 2009