Thread: RDP - the threat from inside?

Yes, saying it it good; doing it would be even better ..............

In one of the languages I speak, there is a sayin g that goes something like: Now they are using a steamroller to kill a bug.

The following extract is from NAMPA and represents the latest in the fight:

Institutions ban officials from politics

Some public institutions are said to have decided to take disciplinary action against members of their staff who are serving in leadership structures of respective political organisations.
A reliable source informed Nampa that heads of some public institutions have already issued letters threatening the staff members to either resign from their political party leadership structures with immediate effect or face disciplinary hearings.
Members of the newly formed party, the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) are the most affected group, the source, who decided to remain anonymous for fear of victimisation, told Nampa in an interview.
“They are accusing people of putting the names of public institutions in disrepute with their active participation in political organisations,” the source explained.

Now, correct me if I am wrong: Up to Permanent Secretary ALL people working for the state are Public Servants.


Does thta means there will quite a few vacancies in the near future??? Or am I looking through rose-coloured glasses???

no one know that he/she will die tomorrw ...so swapo also dont know it day but with the new party it must be aware that any day it will be it s day ...i dnt mean soon but as time passes by the day will come so let face it swapo is not forever it had been but not for know.. this new party is coming strong we cant even compre it to DTA OR COD ..OR what soo ever ....... RDP STAND STRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Swapo is the people and the people are Swapo lets stick to our Swapo and viva see what we have done to Eenhana we are doint it to All Cde of Swapo and all Swapo lovers please lets keep our mounth clouse and let them talk but when 2009 come we will show tham who we are S

I came across this brilliant analysis of the RDP and the political landscape of our Republic by Louisa Nakanuku over on The African Executive web site:. Well worth taking 10 minutes to read and contemplate:

Namibia’s Rally for Democracy and Progress: Old Wine in New Bottle?

The newly formed Namibian political party, Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), might be a faint hint of excitement for politics in Namibia. The ‘old stalwarts’ at the helm of the RDP are comparable to Kenya’s National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), which won the Kenyan election in December 2002 and saw an ‘old stalwart’, Mwai Kibaki, become President.

In 2002, Kenyans who were frustrated with the dominant leadership of the Kenya African National Union (KANU) - that saw Presidents Kenyatta and Moi run the country in absolute chaos for 38 years- had high hopes for the newly formed political party.

However, there were some concerns because Kibaki was one of the heavy guns of KANU having served as Member of Parliament since Kenya’s Independence and held prominent ministerial profiles, including the Vice Presidency under Moi.

In other words, Kibaki was part of the leadership that saw many ordinary Kenyans slip into adverse poverty. He fell out of favour with Moi amidst rumours of power plays and eventually left KANU to form his own party in 1991. Did Kibaki fall out of favour because of a clash over disagreements of failed policies or unanswered political ambition? His current reign, which is dominated by allegations of corruption and continuing lack of real progress, provides an easy answer to that question.

Why the analogy? Jesaya Nyamu and Hidipo Hamutenya’s protest walk out from the liberation movement headed by SWAPO (South West Africa Peoples Organistaion) strikes me as comparable to Kibaki’s departure from KANU. I am not analysing the controversy of how his notes were found and eventually led to his expulsion from SWAPO, but the fact that his dispute with SWAPO had compelled him to think of strategies to break off. In addition, if the RDP is determined to take on SWAPO in the upcoming election, then we can safely assume that the formation of this new party has been in the pipeline for some time, and that Hamutenya’s resignation from SWAPO is well timed. Thus, I hypothesize that Hamutenya has been involved in the structural design and organisation of the RDP. In this regard, I am left wondering if the RDP has been formed as a result of disagreements over failed policies, thus a principled decision, or merely as a result of unanswered political ambition.

In his November 8 press conference to announce his resignation from SWAPO, Hamutenya said that “the people are crying out for delivery of the promises made at Independence and upon which we [SWAPO] were elected”. The reference of “we” is not just indicative of his unconscious link to SWAPO, but also serves as a solid reminder that the same SWAPO mindset will be running the RDP. Furthermore, their emphasis on the ills of Namibian society is similar to that of SWAPO: “We all know that the dominant features in Namibia’s landscape today is poverty, inequality, the sorry state of education, declining health services and unemployment”; an ill that SWAPO – with both Hamutenya and Nyamu as part of the top SWAPO leadership until recently- has failed to deliver to the masses. It is also interesting to note, that no mention was made to corruption, perhaps one of the biggest ills in Namibian society today. Additionally, Hamutenya’s lack of outspokenness upon his return to parliament in 2005 does not ease conspiracy theories and the main question that everybody is asking: Is the RDP only a protest party against the dominant “liberation” party, similar to that of Kibaki’s National Rainbow Coalition, or does it have factual ideological and policy differences?

Second, with the same old stalwarts still wanting to run Namibian politics, I am taken aback with the lack of young vibrant blood in Namibian politics and African politics in general. The old stalwarts of KANU, which in my opinion includes Kibaki, is still running Kenya since their Independence, that is, 43 years later! Am I wrong for presupposing that perhaps there is a possible correlation between the old stalwarts and the increasing despair and corruption cases in Kenya? In the TED Theme Talk on Rethinking Poverty, author of Africa Unchained and well-renowned economist, George Ayittey, call this vibrant young blood, the “cheetah generation”, a “new breed of Africans” that he equates with a “no nonsense” attitude towards corruption and that grasps the implications of accountability and democracy. This breed is also highly educated with technological and entrepreneurial ability and understand how to situate themselves within the global social, economic and political game. Only, most have left Africa as part of the brain drain that has become an African pest.

Ayittey calls the old stalwarts the “ruling elite” of African politics and terms them as the “hippo generation”, a generation that is “stuck in their intellectual patch, complaining about colonialism and imperialism”; a generation that tries to hold on to political power as long as possible. To him, these leaders often fail to reform the economies because they “benefit from the rotten status quo”. Furthermore, Ayittey argues that in today’s global political sphere, Africa’s “salvation rests on the back of these cheetahs” because their ‘yes, we have been done wrong, but how do we get out of this mess’ attitudes, provide the necessary drive to change the current status quo.

Although Namibia is still immature, best classified as an infant, a similar trend exists, where the old stalwarts are likely to continue to dominate the political sphere. With the exception of a few of the relatively ‘young’ and vibrant stalwarts, most of the old stalwarts continue with the rhetoric that is symptomatic of cold war politics. It is a politics that is stuck in the past, and fails to attract the cheetah generation.

As a group breaks away to establish their own political party, other questions to ask are: Will it attract a young vibrant blood with new interpretations of social, economic and political pressures? Will this result in new ideas to rid Namibia of its ills? Sadly, I think not. The politics alienates Namibia’s cheetah generation. Being educated, you are trained to be critical, to question in order to find answers, but in Namibian politics, that freedom to critique the status quo is not independent of estrangement. Being part of the old stalwarts, the RDP political rhetoric is thus likely not to be dissimilar than that of either SWAPO at best or the COD at worse. That, and the infightings such as the recent one that infiltrated the COD, which again was not about ideological differences, but power, is what leaves the cheetah generation (both black and white) apolitical and indifferent.

Namibia’s current cheetah generation is made up of a small percentage of Namibians that appears at best to be apolitical and at worse only interested in wealth. For the latter, politics becomes a by-product; seen only as useful if it can provide a black economic empowerment deal. But in reality, a large group of this cheetah generation in Namibia will only be highly visible in another decade or two. They are the current group in college, the generation that has the opportunity to attend tertiary education, especially the children of the “elite” that has the ability to do so outside of Namibia. It is a generation, which by glimpsing at their list of friends on Facebook is global, technology savvy, career driven and all about reconciliation. But, this is also the generation that will partake in a mass exodus, if Namibia happens to follow the same path as so many other decolonised countries such as Kenya, Ghana, Zimbabwe, among many others. Those that will be left behind would most likely be made up of the political connected, those with solid businesses and work, stable high income jobs, and the poor. In this regard, it becomes imperative for the political sphere to become open to new ideas, thus critiquing, and creating a stimulating environment for the current cheetahs to engage in politics. It is essential that political parties strategically think about structural reorganisation in order to introduce politics to this upcoming cheetah generation. This will essentially mean moving away from surrounding one with yes-men and yes-women, which provide an illusion of progress, to people that can actively debate about pertinent issues.

Only one comment: WOW!

Have you also noticed that most of the RDP rallies and events are not broadcast on NBC or appear in newspapers such as NewEra, Republikein and sometimes even The Namibian?

There was a star rally at Katima Mulilo recently which attracted a large crowd of people. To date I have not heard about it on national radio, TV or in any of the national newspapers.

Makes you think, doesn't it?

Very interesting debate on the RDP. The RDP definitely poses a threat to SWAPO...in fact SWAPO is running scared..with its various leaders resorting to insults, intimidation, assaults, inciting, etc. It has become patently clear, since the formation of the RDP, that SWAPO is inherently undemocratic. It is denying the citizens of this country their constitutional right of association. If the current political tension in the country is anything to go by - and this is not even an election year, what will happen in 2009?

The SWAPO monolith has been shaken to the core by the new party! And it does not know how to react or how to contain the damage...instead SWAPO resorts to finding imperialists and traitors under every stone and to singing the same old tired song about how they fought for the liberation of this country.

As I remember, Hamutenya, Nyamu, Kaukungua and a large majority of the RDP members and supporters were part of that struggle, but I don't hear them singing about their role in that struggle - why? Because after over 18 years of independence, we need to move on, hellooo! It has always been said that SWAPO will self-destruct and the countdown has begun! Oh, the bell has tolled for SWAPO alright and there's no turning back. It's a pity, saddening really, that this once mighty party has becoming a shadow of its former self.

The blame can be laid squarely at the feet of "the johnny-come-latelies" who play to the gallery of those SWAPO leaders that dispense their patronage in order to the upstarts in jobs (politics of the belly). These same leaders have sacrificed the once mighty party at the alter of their egos and cravings for power! It is even sadder to see the johnnies-come-latelies dare to take on SWAPO stalwarts like Libby Amathila and Nahas Angula.

More shocking, they dared to question the presidential prerogative of appointing his ambassadors and advisors - with total impunity! These are all indications that SWAPO is indeed on a vertiginous downward spiral. And the new party will be waiting in the wings...So far, it has been refreshing to hear the RDP's calls for tolerance and inclusiveness. I, for one, wish them well. We need new, forward thinking leaders that will take this country forward.

As for SWAPO...RIP dear friend, you will be spoken of gloriously in our history books!"

Well well well, so it is true that time can change a lot if the stats on this poll is anything to go by, 41.10 % thinking now that RDP stands a better chance than SWAPO...

well as they say, every dog has its day, and there will never be any Goliath so strong to withstand the test of time indeed, oki, then let's wait and see the results of da nex elections!! can't wait!!1

I agree with Senior Member, let's discuss issues to build our nation, whether you belong to Swapo, Rdp or others, as Namibian we have a critical role to play and to contribute to national developments. I'm not convienced with RDP, as most of the members used to hold key position while belonging to Swapo, what is that you can do differently? Perhaps time will tell!!!! But for now, can we combine synegies for maaximum impact in the economic development. Yes, its good to learn form others, but for Namibia, the population and the time its not conducive as there are many issues at critical edge rather than the politicals infights at poor national expenses...