THE various political parties bidding for seats in the upcoming National Assembly elections in November have started to draw their lists of the candidates they are fronting.

So far, only five or so of the parties have made their lists public with the rest to follow suit. The lists that have been produced so far have been met with mixed feelings ranging from their dearth of representatives of one or the other lobby or this or that social group. What seems to be less clear, or seems to be enjoying due emphasis is whether those on the parties’ lists, irrespective of the various competing interests and constituencies they may represent, are competent enough to represent such interests or lobbies.

After 19 years of establishing a democracy, and of consolidating the gains of independence, there is no denying that Namibia now needs to shift its gear up to fulfil her dreams and aspirations. These dreams and aspirations certainly are a legacy, if not a continuation of our dreams and aspirations that in the first place motivated our quest for independence – the right to craft our own destiny, the right to make own choices, or wrong choices. However, now that right has been attained, the focus should turn to the quality of life that we can afford the citizenry of this country. That goes for each of us irrespective of our trade and/or profession or occupation or social standing.

Each of us somehow has something to contribute however humbly to the betterment of the lives of especially the marginalised within our society. This task of social and economic upliftment, needless to mention, does not only remain a formidable one but the journey thereto may prove a long and arduous one. Admittedly, 100 years of capitalist colonialism cannot be undone in a mere 19 years of independence.

As the founding fathers and mothers of the nationalist Namibian revolution like to point out, the economic phase of the struggle, actually the economic revolution is only beginning now. This is the next phase of the revolution that we need to engage in. However, somehow and for some inexplicable reasons we do not seem as yet to be seriously gearing for this phase but also seem somehow hesitant and reluctant to seriously tackle this phase with the necessary vigour and courage that has earned us the name Land of the Brave. It is not difficult to comprehend why. Somehow the rush for riches, a factor of graft and greediness increasingly chronic in our society, especially among those who should carry the interests of the masses best at heart, seems somehow to be mistaken for the first signs of the beginning of the economic revolution.

What we have hitherto been seeing in Namibia are but mere cosmetics of this revolution without any serious intent. What are the manifestations of this economic revolution? One of them is the Black Economic Empowerment (BEE). However to date, BEE cannot be said to touch the fundamentals of the apartheid capitalist economy that we inherited. Thus, a lot still needs to be done in this regard.

Talk of land, it still remains out of the reach of the marginalised majority. This is not to say a land policy is non-existent as of now but it has been far short of addressing the fundamentals of land redistribution tampering only with the status quo. Reference is daily made to the challenge facing the Land of the Brave on the economic front, and by extension on the social front. These are the realities that are in store for those on party lists. Being on these lists is not and should not be a fashionable prestigious matter as it seems but is a matter of crucial national importance.

People who have been put on these lists are not on them purely to pretend that any party has a list of 72. Far from this! By putting anyone on its list, the party is in fact committing such a person to national duty. It is calling on the nation to put trust on her/him, and following the November elections that these gentlemen and ladies are for the next four years to prevail over the destiny of this nation – that is how serious these lists and elections are. However, looking at the lists presented so far, one has little reason to believe the destiny of this nation is to be in good hands and minds for the next four years.

Either somehow, in their oversensitivity in appeasing the various lobbies, interests and constituencies, parties seem to pay little regard to substance in the candidates they propose for their lists. That is if the parties have much say in the drafting of such lists other than what they would want us to believe that this is a democratic exercise that the parties has little control over with the democratic mechanisms of the parties very much at play.

Whatever the rationalisation, certainly we seem very much still embedded and webbed into cult politics where cult political populism seems very much at play, of course, with some measure of political manipulation by the upper structures of the parties. Well and Good that the lists should take cognisance of the lobby make-up and support base of any political party. However, if the lists are to be subject to the various competing interests that make up any party’s constituencies, at the expense of a team geared for the challenges of modern governance, addressing such challenges shall only remain a pipedream.

One important vehicle in facing the challenges that Namibia faces in this age is obviously the National Assembly. One need not be an analyst of some kind to know that somehow the performance of our August House seems to be below par, and worsening by the year. One reason for this, needless to say has to do with the calibre of candidates we avail for the August House. Something is just amiss. Either the calibre of the candidates is a reflection of the total national pool. If this is the case, we must seriously start addressing the issue of human capacity. Because honestly we cannot expect to have qualitative party lists from a society that does not have quality.

However, I decline to accept that society does not have quality. Quality we do have as limited as it may be. The problem somehow we seem allergic to the appropriate use and application of quality and substance. Even where pure quality and standard is required we seem to be caught in our political hangovers and imprisonments.

Lately, there have been calls for candidates on these lists to be somehow qualified. One needs to qualify such qualifications. By my understanding, qualification does not purely mean academic qualification but rather a combination of many attributes and traits. Among them a necessary but not a sufficient requirement is the aptitude to grasp the intricacies of modern society. The intellect, naturally as well as acquired, to distinguish national bi-partisan issues from one’s own political, cultural and religious inclination or upbringing. Honesty.

Dedication. The list is endless. But to what extent the party look at all these or let alone some of them, is doubtful if the lists are anything to go by.

New Era