EDITORIAL: What’s your political strategy?

There are genuine concerns within Swapo about the party’s campaign strategy ahead of the elections. Technocrats, especially those who hold no formal position in the party, are concerned that there is no pointed messaging in the campaigns so far.

You can have cute videos of people dancing in party regalia, but where is the message to the voters? Are we going to spend the next five years twerking, or resolving the myriad of challenges facing us today?

In fairness, Swapo is not the only sinner in this trench. But the party is the tallest tree, and will always catch the most wind of scrutiny in this political jungle.

Independent candidate Ally Angula has done better in being specific about what she intends to do if elected – or perhaps, if registered. Some of her ideas have been dismissed as too ambitious and unachievable. But Namibians would rather go into the voting booth with clarity of thought, instead of shooting in the dark.

Unfortunately, times have changed. The old joke that Swapo could field a donkey as its candidate and still win the election is no longer repeatable. Namibians need to hear Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s ideas - and what she’s passionate about. Then the voters can make up their minds.

So much money is being pumped into her campaign to give it a sassy and saucy feel. But let’s quit the dancing and spit the plans. Because if the idea is to wait until the manifesto is launched, the voter boat would have sailed by then.