“SWAPO should have an extra ordinary congress as curtain raiser to the Main Congress”. McDavid Meroro.

Windhoek, Jan 25 – Activist McDavid Meroro is Lobbying for Swapo Extra – Ordinary Congress as a preparation to the main Swapo Congress. 

“Swapo we had a diamond in our hands and we had exchanged it for a stone. If I was in an influential position of the ruling Swapo Party, I would have lobbied to call for an Extra – Ordinary Congress .The Party needs to be reform. You cannot drive a car without taking it for mechanical services to be repaired if it’s not functioning well. Even us human being we need medical treatment after birth” said Meroro.

As we start with the New Year, let’s get down on our knees to thank God we’re on our feet. Here’s to a bright new year and a fond farewell to the old; here’s to the things that are yet to come, and to the memories that we hold.

I hope many have enjoyed the last festive season with families. As for me I didn’t, due to the poor performance at the election polls of last year. The party is weakening. I cannot imagined being teased that we have become a Rural Organization, a party which was once a powerful people organization. We are in a different times. And I am very much disturbed. On the 1st September 2020,  I wrote to H. E. Dr Hage .G. Geingob the President of Swapo and other Party leadership that we need to make urgent amends and adjustment to our strategy for the last Regional and Local Authority Elections and demise new strategies  to avoid a potential routing.

I raised the issues of new organizations that have emerged and that will peddle on our weaknesses, to try and filch the control of local authorities from the SWAPO Party. Just like the same way major liberation movements have went through these kind of transformation, the African National Congress (ANC) has lost metros and the failure to get its house in order has proved good opportunity to the Economic Freedom Fighters to make more gains during their last election. My advice to the party leadership was that we are certainly no exception; I feared genuinely that the same may happened to us and it was exactly what had transparent.

My other feared was the proliferation of independent candidates and new political parties and organizations that have registered to contest for the last election. Swapo is failing to field tested cadres in the leadership with political credentials within the party and those with skills / technical know-how and experience. Its thirty years of governance’s since independence the time is now ripe for meritocracy we must move away from the reward system.

I have been in Swapo all along and I am aware that we have fielded cadres who are way below par and we need to be candid with our ourselves and review our selection requirement in terms of credential.

The situation is dire and will certainly fail governance to say the least if we ignore basic requirements. The other aspect I raised to the leadership was diversity in comrades that represents the party for example in local authorities. We as a party must be cognizant of the fact that towns and villages are culturally diverse. We are not NUDO, UDF, LPM that have a challenge with diversity; these are parties that have foundations on tribal constituencies. My point was that town should be represented by cultural diversity and their history.

We cannot afford to field a nighty per cent cadres from the same cultural or tribal grouping. We must realize that this issues should of a concern after thirty years in power. Proportional representation if it the basis should be based on sound statistical evidence.

My advice to the leadership was taken lightly and all that I predicted came into reality. Such practices by the party leadership is suicidal. I predicted about Swapo losing the Seat of Government which is the City of Windhoek Local Authority and also towns like Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and other towns which was ceded to the opposition coalitions.

What do I expect from the ruling Swapo Party?  If we through away fake-ness and look at ourselves in the mirror as SWAPO, then we can diagnose the problem. The party cannot be turned into a source of one’s livelihood, we cannot belong to it in order to solve our personal economic circumstances. As doing so will invoke unsustainable competition to belong. This seem to be what had unfortunately happened to Swapo, our political home.

I am recommending for an extra – ordinary congress that will amend the constitution of the Party for a number of reason: a new and vibrant genuine, tested, gifted or talented and capacitated leadership that will choose the interest of the party first and who always carried a soft spot for the party. Inclusion must be made a policy issue to make inclusion the priority .Than people will also be appointed on that basis to avoid friction. We must do away with those who view the party as a milking cow. The party is really in need of cadres who are imbued with natural intelligence to safeguard, protect and defend the organization for it is our only heritage, our identity.

Calling for an extra – ordinary congress will not be the first thing to be done in the history of Swapo. On the 29 – 31 May 1976, the internal leadership of SWAPO held an Extra – Ordinary Congress tactically held in Walvis Bay, Namibia. It was a powerful national conference. The Congress of the popular masses of the Namibian native people under SWAPO to lay down political, social and military strategies to safeguard the wishes and aspirations of the oppressed, colonized and struggling black people.

That same extra – Ordinary Congress took many decisions some of which were not made known to the Lusaka leadership. The congress took carefully into consideration the criticism of those who acquired socialist knowledge abroad; amended the old Constitution of Swapo and sent it for more amendments abroad. The congress addressed itself to the ‘’ rebellion of 1976’’ which was supposed with the help of the Zambian Army. It also touches on the shameful issue related to late Dr Jonas Savimbi of (UNITA). The other issue was to avoid further political split in SWAPO. Congress decided to re – install President Sam Nujoma, Vice President Mishake Muyongo and the National Chairman late David Hosea Meroro in power. The idea to elect a new President, National Chairman of SWAPO was reserved, due to enemy propaganda before the Congress session started. But imprisoned comrades such as late Axel Johannes and Aaron Mushimba were re – elected. Apart from the amended Constitution, the political programme received after the Congress from abroad – Frelimo pamphlets for as integral part of political re – orientation inside Namibia. The same congress changed the term of office from 2 (two) to 5(five) years term.

Hence why shouldn’t we learned from this past experience and call for an extra – ordinary congress and make urgent amends and adjustments. The party needs to be reform / revived. We must also do away with wolves in sheep’s clothing within the party structures. The last election was a clear testimony that the party is weakening. I have also take cognizance of some cadres who are throwing stones on the SWAPO house that they have help to build and trying by all mean to burned it down just because of greedy and selfishness. I am so much disappointed. We as Swapo didn’t performed poorly during the election because the oppositions is demising new strategies or them becoming stronger. Nor is because of the elephant within the Swapo house itself. Swapo is destroying itself and the benefits goes to the opposition parties.

Swapo leadership if you failed to reform the party or to call for an extra – ordinary congress as a preparation to the main Swapo congress be reminded of the fact that life is a journey from birth to death. Our career or our position to be in power as a ruling party is equally a journey from appointment to retirement .We might not be the boss forever. Let us demise new strategies and do the right thing. The dynamics of politics is changing and we must adopt to the changing world..

Windhoek Mayor Brother Job Amupanda is scoring the highest political points for his reactions and radical approach pressurizing the government. And he is not wrong because in his capacity being the leader of a Social Movement, that is actually what is expected from him. In fact the role of Social Movements all over the world is to influence governments and hold them accountable. What is that the Swapo Party leadership is doing especially those in influential positions at the Party headquarter? Shouldn’t be those with prerogative authority at the party level that supposed to influence and keep the government accountable and responsive to the social needs of the general public before anyone else? Brother Job Amupanda is taking all the credit that was supposed to be taken by the ruling party my political home.

A week or two  before the departure of my brother  Mandela Kapere a member of Parliament  he said the following to me and i quote : Comrade Meroro, l like your political analysis, they are very grounded , level headed. It is a good skill to have, you re indeed an excellent analyst, a strategist and an asset to our party and the nation. But in today politics especially within the structure of our party it is a lost art. People look at politics with too much emotions instead of looking at the empirical evidence on the ground. End of his quote, may his soul continue to rest in everlasting peace. He was indeed a genuine true leader and a Pan Africanist,

Wishing you all a prosperous New Year fellow Namibians…

David Meroro, is a political activist.