SPYL Need To Start Own Succession Debate

RECENTLY the Swapo Party Youth League announced that it had put a lid on the Swapo presidential succession debate. It was not necessarily a good thing but it has created the time and space to debate their own succession.

Instead of fighting among themselves over who should be the Swapo presidential candidate, members of the youth wing need to take time out to critically look at their own destiny and who they want to lead them for the next five years.
That is why it was a bit shocking to also read about the amount of effort and resources used in the attempt to oust incumbent secretary, Elijah Ngurare.
Ngurare’s term is about to run out and the time and resources used to oust him could be better spent on debating the qualities they need in the next individual to head the organisation.
And such debates should be open and not clandestine evening meetings as has been with their seniors – some of whom have reportedly been sponsoring drinks for the youth.
Isn’t it what the youth wished for the presidential race? Now they need to set the example on an open intra-party debate over succession for the elders!
The youth wing are not short of firebrands and starting a debate as early as now will afford many followers the chance to critically think about their choices.
I am told that there is a school of thought among the youth that the secretary should be elected from the SPYL central committee but glancing through their constitution, I got the impression that it could be anyone who attends the congress.
Whichever it may be, I decided to throw a few names into the hat, mindful of the fact that “he or she shall not be more than 45 years of age”, as their constitution stipulates.
Chief among them is a young but well-educated leader in Lucia Ipumbu. She is popular among the youth but very media-shy although her master degree in economics could be of good benefit for the youth wing.
Her advantage is that she is a woman but so is the current deputy secretary Jutta Shikomba, who will probably also try her luck for the second time running after she could not beat Ngurare in the last one.
Shikomba is a teacher by profession and spent the past four years or more in the youth league’s inner circle as well as at the party’s head office. Having come across her several times, I would opt for Ipumbu rather than her if the gender card comes into play.
But the race will not be a race if it does not have Veikko Nekundi in it.
A strictly business-minded young man, who does not mince his words (even if sometimes it gets him into costly trouble like it did with Veiccoh Nghiwete of Foreign Affairs), he will suit the one quality SPYL constitution calls for in a secretary. That is the establishment and development of the wings’ enterprises and ventures.
But than one could also include Sacky Shanghala in that mix. The young man does not hide his love for money and last year remarked in an interview with The Namibian that politics and economics are bedfellows and cannot be separated from each other.
“If I would go into business I would host politicians and play golf with them and sponsor them – that is what a businessman does,” Shanghala said then.
What is sure about him is that he is a go-getter but whether the Black Economic Empowerment beneficiary will have enough time or be willing to leave his lucrative job and perks for the head office is not sure.
Another, perhaps an outside horse or two worth mentioning are Henny Seibeb, personal assistant to Swapo secretary general Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana, as well as National Youth Council head Mandela Kapere and SPYL’s Swakopmund district secretary Sioni Iikela.
Kapere will probably prefer to stay at NYC from where he serves the youth on several boards and is relatively at ease with life but Seibeb and Iikela could welcome the challenge.
Seibeb is already in the party structures and head office and will only move offices, while for Iikela it could be a move too soon. In his case, a deputy position will probably be best.
Perhaps one very good candidate would have been Clinton Swartbooi but he has leap-frogged the position with his presidential appointment as governor of Karas.
The above list is by no means the only names SPYL needs to look at.
I have merely tried to kick-start the debate with the hope that the youth of Swapo will start to put a workable succession plan in place. It’s over to them now!