The Not-So-Democratic Opposition Parties

The Not-So-Democratic Opposition Parties

By: CHRISTOF MALETSKY

YOU can say whatever you want about Swapo but give them thumbs up for having internal elections when it comes to choosing candidates, even though the process may be manipulated at times.

I can’t say the same about some of the so-called democratic opposition parties in Namibia.
Take, for example, last year’s national and presidential elections and how some of them denied their members the right to elect leaders of their choice.
Small groups of leaders in the DTA, the Congress of Democrats and the United Democratic Front to an extent came together to draw up a list of their candidates – presumably to represent the people.
They placed the candidates – meaning that if I was in favour with some of the top leaders, I could end up in the top echelons of the pack (although, of course, not above them).
How members of those parties could act so undemocratically is a mystery to me.
Their voices, through the party ballot, were silent yet they shouted “viva” when their leaders stood in front of them and accused others of being undemocratic.
Why was there no outrage while your voices were being pummelled from all sides? How do you know that the same people will practice democracy if they take over Government and have to lead a whole nation?
I am raising the issue now because elections are over and hopefully people will reflect on it without emotions boiling over to the extent that we will resort to name-calling or slander.
Every voter or member of a political party has the right to decide who must represent them. You can’t leave that to small oligarchies with ‘big men’ mentalities who only think about their big bellies, flashy lifestyles, underhand deals and their kin.
Many of the opposition parties have young, vibrant people who have been silenced through the undemocratic manipulation by people who have been around for ages yet have not produced the goods when it comes to the people they claim to represent.
Some of the opposition parties lack a culture of open and sensible debate where candidates are given a chance to sell themselves or share their ideas on how to lead the people in their constituencies.
In fact, those who speak out or share different sentiments to certain leaders are often sidelined to the extent that they do not feel welcome. Ultimately they abandon their aspirations.
One of the excuses why some of the opposition political parties did not hold proper congresses to elect their candidates was that they do not want to go the Congress of Democrats’ route.
They claim that the CoD ended up in disarray because they held a congress. What a load of rubbish coming from people who claim to be democratic!
The CoD’s problems had nothing to do with having elections but all about the processes followed during the infamous and controversial Keetmanshoop congress which ultimately ended in court.
But the deafening silence from members of parties who stifled their voices concerns me.
I am almost certain that their silence has set a precedent, which will be difficult to correct because they ‘legalised’ it the first time around.
Above all, can those candidates continue to claim that they represent the masses in their party?
There is a saying: “if you live in a glass house, don’t throw stones”.
How freely will such opposition parties be able to hurl criticism about lack of democracy at Swapo or any other party for that matter?
It is sad and tragic because no one other than the members of the parties can speak out for themselves. Their silence is equal to condoning undemocratic principles.
The actions by those opposition parties, or their leaders, have clearly weakened their case on democracy.
* This article first appeared in The Namibian