Private firms rush to fund ruling party campaign

AN advertising firm has offered Swapo free election publicity in return for better business opportunities.

It is one of a number of companies that The Namibian understands have been rushing to contribute to the ruling party in cash or kind ahead of the November elections. In contrast, opposition parties complain that they are bereft of private sector funding.The generous Alliance Media advertising offer, timed to curry favour with the ruling party, highlights that private companies fund political parties strategically to advance profits.Alliance is one of the foremost outdoor advertising agencies in Namibia.An unnamed company has offered to donate 10 000 t-shirts to the ruling party for the Presidential and National Assembly elections alone, but it is not clear if any conditions have been set.Swapo’s Deputy Secretary for Information and Publicity, Theopolina Mushelenga, this week confirmed the agreement with Alliance Media “to make use of their billboards.We have agreed that we can assist them [getting better business deals] but this is not a condition” of the company’s offer.Sources said Alliance wrote to Swapo saying the party could advertise on its billboards for free.However, the company has asked Swapo to help them get new billboard sites, including those belonging to Government.”The party will be free to use these sites in all coming elections at no cost,” said a senior Swapo official.An official at Alliance Media, whose name was given only as Wambure, claimed he was unaware of the deal.He declined to comment further.It is understood that the offer was made exclusively to Swapo.Mushelenga said companies that funded the Swapo election campaign recognised the importance of keeping her party in power and in the process promoting peace and stability.”You won’t be able to make business if there is no peace.In the absence of peace and stability there will be no development.”Asked whether the Alliance Media offer could be seen as amounting to a bribe, Mushelenga said:”I don’t think so …Democracy is about people and [the] Swapo Party is ruling a lot of people.I think Alliance felt the need to support development in terms of our campaign.”The Swapo spokesperson said other companies had also followed suit after the Swapo conglomerate, Kalahari Holdings, donated a luxury vehicle to the campaign of the ruling party’s presidential candidate Hifikepunye Pohamba.Kalahari Holdings also gave a bus to transport the Ndilimani music group when they perform at Swapo meetings.Of all the opposition parties approached about funding from private companies, only the Republican Party (RP) said they were receiving money from business.The money came from companies owned by members of the party, said RP president Henk Mudge.Chief Justus Garo‘b, head of the United Democratic Front (UDF), said in his experience” “The private sector is reluctant to fund opposition parties because some of them are dependent on tenders from the Government for business, and [they fear that funding opposition parties] might affect their business opportunities.”Ignatius Shixwameni of the Congress of Democrats complained that the response to their appeal for funding had been poor.”The corporate world in this country doesn’t seem interested in defending democracy,” said Shixwameni.In addition, he said, the ruling party was using State resources, giving it an unfair advantage.Namibia has no law regulating private sector funding, which in many countries is used to grease the wheels of corruption and feather the nests of a few elite families and their cronies.”They [companies] need to fund parties so that we can run an effective campaign,” said Shixwameni.But Mushelenga said the accusation that Swapo was using State resources was general and claimed it was “not genuine”.She said ruling party leaders in Government used State resources only when they were already on official business.But the CoD countered by saying that State vehicles were out in force at the launch of the Swapo campaign last weekend.In contrast, opposition parties complain that they are bereft of private sector funding.The generous Alliance Media advertising offer, timed to curry favour with the ruling party, highlights that private companies fund political parties strategically to advance profits.Alliance is one of the foremost outdoor advertising agencies in Namibia.An unnamed company has offered to donate 10 000 t-shirts to the ruling party for the Presidential and National Assembly elections alone, but it is not clear if any conditions have been set.Swapo’s Deputy Secretary for Information and Publicity, Theopolina Mushelenga, this week confirmed the agreement with Alliance Media “to make use of their billboards.We have agreed that we can assist them [getting better business deals] but this is not a condition” of the company’s offer.Sources said Alliance wrote to Swapo saying the party could advertise on its billboards for free.However, the company has asked Swapo to help them get new billboard sites, including those belonging to Government.”The party will be free to use these sites in all coming elections at no cost,” said a senior Swapo official.An official at Alliance Media, whose name was given only as Wambure, claimed he was unaware of the deal.He declined to comment further.It is understood that the offer was made exclusively to Swapo.Mushelenga said companies that funded the Swapo election campaign recognised the importance of keeping her party in power and in the process promoting peace and stability.”You won’t be able to make business if there is no peace.In the absence of peace and stability there will be no development.”Asked whether the Alliance Media offer could be seen as amounting to a bribe, Mushelenga said:”I don’t think so …Democracy is about people and [the] Swapo Party is ruling a lot of people.I think Alliance felt the need to support development in terms of our campaign.”The Swapo spokesperson said other companies had also followed suit after the Swapo conglomerate, Kalahari Holdings, donated a luxury vehicle to the campaign of the ruling party’s presidential candidate Hifikepunye Pohamba.Kalahari Holdings also gave a bus to transport the Ndilimani music group when they perform at Swapo meetings.Of all the opposition parties approached about funding from private companies, only the Republican Party (RP) said they were receiving money from business.The money came from companies owned by members of the party, said RP president Henk Mudge.Chief Justus Garo‘b, head of the United Democratic Front (UDF), said in his experience” “The private sector is reluctant to fund opposition parties because some of them are dependent on tenders from the Government for business, and [they fear that funding opposition parties] might affect their business opportunities.”Ignatius Shixwameni of the Congress of Democrats complained that the response to their appeal for funding had been poor.”The corporate world in this country doesn’t seem interested in defending democracy,” said Shixwameni.In addition, he said, the ruling party was using State resources, giving it an unfair advantage.Namibia has no law regulating private sector funding, which in many countries is used to grease the wheels of corruption and feather the nests of a few elite families and their cronies.”They [companies] need to fund parties so that we can run an effective campaign,” said Shixwameni.But Mushelenga said the accusation that Swapo was using State resources was general and claimed it was “not genuine”.She said ruling party leaders in Government used State resources only when they were already on official business.But the CoD countered by saying that State vehicles were out in force at the launch of the Swapo campaign last weekend.