VOX POP
What is your take on the messages contained in the various manifestos made public so far?
Graham Hopwood
Regarding Swapo's manifesto and its proposed allocation of N$85.7 billion for mass youth employment, the plan raises questions about its realism and feasibility. The figures presented, particularly on page 20, are unclear – both in terms of the projected expenditures and the anticipated job creation. For meaningful analysis, the party would need to provide much more detail on how over 250 000 jobs are expected to materialise. Addressing youth unemployment is crucial, as it will be a central issue for voters. However, there is a risk of repeating the mistakes of TIPEEG, which lacked proper monitoring and evaluation to assess its impact effectively.
Julia Sheehama
These messages, in my opinion, are "bold promises" because they primarily focus on young employment and involvement, which is currently receiving a lot of attention. You might wonder why. With that perspective, Vision 30 is still an NDP pledge, and I believe there is still more work to be done. Most of them aim to achieve economic growth and equitable income and wealth distribution in five to ten years, which I believe is unrealistic given that we are a developing nation that has a lot of growing to do, but perhaps "change" will occur if our resources are concentrated in the most productive areas and other important sectors.
Shaun Gariseb
In a country facing some of the worst levels of divide, racism, classism, elitism and of course, tribalism, you'd think manifestos/parties would be sensitive to addressing growing disparities, but with the exception of the IPC, which has an entire section focusing on this issue, unfortunately there isn't much being said or no plans to converge citizens and homogenise national interests.
Do these recycled manifestos really serve a practical purpose? In my opinion, they do not. I do not think they are connected to the realities of policy implementation either. All of them just say if we get into government, even the ruling party, which shows how unrealistic these promises are.
Paulus Ndifikepo
The manifestos presented by LPM and Swapo reflect significant approaches to addressing our citizens’ needs. LPM’s offer of free land is an ambitious initiative that could tackle issues of inequality and provide new economic opportunities. However, the success of this policy would depend on careful planning to ensure equitable distribution and to avoid potential disputes over land ownership.
Conversely, Swapo’s pledge to raise pensions by three thousand is, I believe, a direct response to the challenges faced by our elderly population. For the most part, I believe this increase is critical for enhancing the quality of life for pensioners, but we must also question whether it is enough to meet rising living costs and how it will be financed without straining public resources.
Regarding Swapo's manifesto and its proposed allocation of N$85.7 billion for mass youth employment, the plan raises questions about its realism and feasibility. The figures presented, particularly on page 20, are unclear – both in terms of the projected expenditures and the anticipated job creation. For meaningful analysis, the party would need to provide much more detail on how over 250 000 jobs are expected to materialise. Addressing youth unemployment is crucial, as it will be a central issue for voters. However, there is a risk of repeating the mistakes of TIPEEG, which lacked proper monitoring and evaluation to assess its impact effectively.
Julia Sheehama
These messages, in my opinion, are "bold promises" because they primarily focus on young employment and involvement, which is currently receiving a lot of attention. You might wonder why. With that perspective, Vision 30 is still an NDP pledge, and I believe there is still more work to be done. Most of them aim to achieve economic growth and equitable income and wealth distribution in five to ten years, which I believe is unrealistic given that we are a developing nation that has a lot of growing to do, but perhaps "change" will occur if our resources are concentrated in the most productive areas and other important sectors.
Shaun Gariseb
In a country facing some of the worst levels of divide, racism, classism, elitism and of course, tribalism, you'd think manifestos/parties would be sensitive to addressing growing disparities, but with the exception of the IPC, which has an entire section focusing on this issue, unfortunately there isn't much being said or no plans to converge citizens and homogenise national interests.
Do these recycled manifestos really serve a practical purpose? In my opinion, they do not. I do not think they are connected to the realities of policy implementation either. All of them just say if we get into government, even the ruling party, which shows how unrealistic these promises are.
Paulus Ndifikepo
The manifestos presented by LPM and Swapo reflect significant approaches to addressing our citizens’ needs. LPM’s offer of free land is an ambitious initiative that could tackle issues of inequality and provide new economic opportunities. However, the success of this policy would depend on careful planning to ensure equitable distribution and to avoid potential disputes over land ownership.
Conversely, Swapo’s pledge to raise pensions by three thousand is, I believe, a direct response to the challenges faced by our elderly population. For the most part, I believe this increase is critical for enhancing the quality of life for pensioners, but we must also question whether it is enough to meet rising living costs and how it will be financed without straining public resources.
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article