The two slogans of the manifesto are ‘It’s time for change’ and ‘Together, we can do better’. The document emphasises the following commitments, among others:
Democracy and Political Pluralism: The party will stress accountable government; and emphasise transparency, openness and predictability.
Health: The RDP will focus on the training of health personnel, provision of well-equipped facilities and proper management.
Education and Training: The RDP calls for “visionary action” to turn this sector around, promising to overhaul the whole system; re-introduce pre-primary schools; restructure curricula; and institute a national assessment of teachers’ skills. Bursaries will be made available to 65% of all students who obtain university admission.
Social Welfare: The RDP will ensure monthly grants are in line with the cost of living and increase social pensions to not less than N$750 per month.
Economy and Wealth Creation: The RDP will reform the Investment Act; introduce a Fishing Board to oversee the industry; ensure the entry of Namibians into mainstream tourism; restructure Air Namibia; and reduce current tax rates. In addition, the party will rehabilitate current infrastructure and build new roads, schools etc.
Housing: The party will provide at least 30,000 houses per year.
Energy: The RDP will privatise production in solar, wind and hydro power; speed up rural electrification; facilitate investment in off-grid projects. All government buildings would switch to solar power. The party will look at speeding up the Kudu gas, Epupa and Popa falls projects.
Empowerment: The Development Bank of Namibia would focus on assisting SMEs and the awarding of mining concessions would be reviewed to benefit Namibians.
Job creation: The RDP would create jobs by encouraging an entrepreneurial culture; creating incentives for business to expand and take on trainees and interns; revamping and opening up the tendering system; and deregulating the informal sector.
State-owned enterprises: Political appointments at SOEs will be discouraged. CEOs will be appointed on performance-based contracts. SOEs will not pay dividends to government but will instead pay them into an infrastructure development fund.
Industry: The RDP will put money into research and development and prioritise incentives to bring money into productive industries. The party will seek new markets for beef, karakul, small stock and other Namibian products.
Land: The RDP wants urgent and lawful acquisition of land by government for redistribution to needy Namibians, while ensuring the productive use of land and training and support for resettled farmers.
Institutional reform: The party will reduce the size of Cabinet and the number of foreign missions. The practice of jobs for comrades will end.
Constitution: The party will abolish the party list system and replace it with a competitive constituency system.
Media: The RDP will lift the advertising ban on The Namibian.
Labour: The party will establish a national pension scheme and unemployment insurance.
The manifesto contains a number of interesting policy suggestions and proposals but unfortunately they are rather lost among the mostly over-long and vague sections of the manifesto. There are many rather broad statements which in the final analysis do not mean much, such as: ‘overhaul the educational system to be consistent with national development needs’ or ‘facilitate the expansion of the sector to create more job opportunities’. There are commitments which will require extra funds, such as expanding the welfare net, but no attempt to explain where the money will come from. In fact, the RDP is committed to tax cuts. Presumably some money would be saved by cutting Cabinet and the diplomatic service.
The manifesto is attractively produced on paper in the party colours, although the text is a little too dense for easy reading.
Who is the party’s leader?
Hidipo Hamutenya who was a minister in the Swapo government from 1990 to 2004. He held the Information, Trade and Foreign Affairs portfolios. He has led the RDP since its formation in 2007.
Does the party have a website?
Yes. At www.rdp.org.na
More about the party?
The RDP was formed in late 2007, mainly by former members of Swapo who left the ruling party after the 2004 extraordinary congress. This will be the first time it has competed at national elections.
Election Watch is a project of the Institute for Public Policy Research in Windhoek, Namibia.