By Lylie Happiness.
Oshakati, 14 Nov. – The simmering division among Namibia’s opposition parties came to the fore when the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) inaugurated its regional office at Oshakati on Saturday.
The official opposition party in Parliament accused the ruling Swapo of creating numerous new political parties to divide and weaken the opposition.
PDM secretary-general Immanuel Ngaringombe said he suspects that factions that break away from Swapo with great fanfare, but disintegrate shortly after elections, might be part of a Swapo tactic of weakening and dividing the opposition.
Ngaringombe was addressing a public meeting at the inauguration of the party’s regional office at the Okandjengedhi informal settlement at Oshakati.
According to Ngaringombe, Swapo dissidents establish new political parties, divide the opposition vote and then fade away after elections.
“They benefit Swapo,” he said, warning his audience to neither follow nor vote for such political parties.
He said the PDM is the only real alternative to Swapo.
Ngaringombe enumerated what he described as unfulfilled pre-independence promises such as free education, access to quality medical care, housing and land.
The two-part event was mostly attended by the youth.
When asked by the keynote speaker, the overwhelming majority of youth in attendance claimed to be unemployed.
PDM’s new regional office is housed in a renovated building that was once a shebeen owned by the late Philemon Moongo, who represented the party in parliament.
