Uakutura Kambaekua Joseph Kauandenge, leader of the Asoli Progressive Party, has called on opposition parties to set aside their individual party ‘egos’ and unite in a grand alliance to effectively challenge the ruling government in the 2029 general elections. In a press statement this week, the veteran politician asserted that 35 years of disunity among... The post Swallow your pride, Kauandenge tells opposition appeared first on New Era .
Uakutura Kambaekua
Joseph Kauandenge, leader of the Asoli Progressive Party, has called on opposition parties to set aside their individual party ‘egos’ and unite in a grand alliance to effectively challenge the ruling government in the 2029 general elections.
In a press statement this week, the veteran politician asserted that 35 years of disunity among opposition parties have had no significant impact on national governance, diminishing their parliamentary presence to “empty noise without substance” due to a lack of real power.
“The Asoli Progressive Party strongly believes that it is high time that Namibia opposition party leaders move with the times and copy from others in our immediate neighbouring countries and across Africa, who have successfully toppled ruling parties democratically through opposition grand coalitions or alliances,” he proposed.
Kauandenge noted that Namibian voters typically align with political organisations based on ethnicity, family ties and personal preferences rather than policy manifestos.
He added that, while historical political survival in Namibia depended on a robust ethnic base, individual parties can no longer rely on securing only one or two parliamentary seats for self-serving purposes.
“We are calling for Namibian opposition party leaders to think critically as to where they want Namibia to be in the next 10 years. We must move away from these glorified positions of presidents of our respective parties, and remember why we formed the parties in the first place, which was to serve our people, not our own interest,” he said.
He emphasised the need to mobilise collective memberships under a unified governing front, urging opposition leaders to examine successful democratic strategies in countries such as Zambia, Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritius, Malawi and Morocco, where coalitions effectively ousted entrenched ruling parties.
He cautioned that history would judge current opposition leaders negatively “if they do not set aside personal pride to pursue genuine State power”.
“It is time for opposition party leaders to do away with being egotistical and refusing to work together towards a grand opposition coalition. History will judge us harshly,” he said.
Kauandenge contended that holding the title of party president is trivial compared to the essential goal of serving the public and “establishing ourselves as the governing party within a grand coalition.
*-Nampa *
The post Swallow your pride, Kauandenge tells opposition appeared first on New Era.
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