With the election imminent, it is important that all members of society, not just politicians and political parties, act responsibly and adhere to the principles of political tolerance.
These principles are: democratic political activity, free political campaigning and open public debate.
The Namibian Constitution enshrines the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and association, as well as the freedom from discrimination on the grounds of beliefs and affiliations, which include political leanings.
In order for an election to be considered free and fair, a culture of political tolerance should exist.
Namibia has a Constitution which makes provision for multiparty democratic practices and diversity of views on a range of issues.
In an atmosphere of political tolerance voting-age citizens can express themselves freely without being or feeling pressured or intimidated into making a political choice.
At its core, political tolerance suggests that all campaigning politicians and political parties have the same cause at heart, namely the well-being of the citizens and society, but are putting forward different approaches to enhancing this well-being. In accordance with such a culture, political parties, even minor or marginal parties, should be free to conduct their campaigns where and when they want to without fearing the threat of intimidation from bigger and more established parties.
In such an atmosphere, opposition parties and those with views different from our own are not seen as enemies, but as competitors on the electoral playing field. No one should use language that incites hatred or violence against any other person or group. No one should obstruct other people from attending political gatherings. Party supporters should not disfigure or destroy the campaign materials of other parties.
Political tolerance starts with individual members of society who respect others even though they hold different views from their own. Gandhi once said: “The spirit of democracy cannot be imposed from without. It has to come from within.” Each one of us has to demonstrate that spirit of democracy on November 27 and 28 and the in the following days.
Election Watch is a project of the Institute for Public Policy Research in Windhoek, Namibia.