The current hullabaloo about Namprint is nothing but a red herring by the opposition. For some reason or another they are utilising the artificial storm in a tea cup to foment unnecessary discord amongst the Namibian electorate. It is another obvious campaign to stave off another crushing defeat by SWAPO Party of Namibia. This pathetic attempt clearly shows that they know they are running out of options and they are merely trying to delay the inevitable.

It is incomprehensible how people who once gathered for an inspection in situ around the then MD of Namprint (under its old name), Tshombe Ndadi, and agreed that the security precautions of Namprint were beyond reproach and that the print run of the ballot papers was, indeed, in good hands. And here I am talking of all the parties that were registered in 1999.

There was also not a single vote of dissent when it was discussed and approved that only Namprint met or exceeded all security and other requirements. The only other Namibian possibility was Northern Printers in Tsumeb, but they were eliminated because the transport of the ballot papers from Tsumeb to Windhoek could pose a security risk.

Even then all the parties knew that Namprint was part of the SWAPO business empire ... and it was of no great concern .... even to those who are now most vociferous in their scurrilous attacks on the integrity of the company.

Unless I am very much mistaken, all the ballot papers for the various elections have been printed by that firm without a hitch.

So, what is the trouble now? Merely a diversionary manoeuvre? A last, desperate attempt of trying to thwart and stem the tsunami of support for SWAPO Party?

Or just another insidious way of turning the world's opinion against a patently transparent, open and democratic process in order that they may bleat forlornly once the counts are in: “We wuz robbed¨ when the Namibian electorate, again, wipes the electoral floor with them and hands them, another, thrashing at the polls?

Makes one wonder just how much expediency and how much honour are in this oppositional equation.