Republican Party is not just for whites – Mudge

Republican Party (RP) president Henk Mudge says despite misconceptions, the party is not only for white Namibians.

He says the majority of its supporters are non-white.

Speaking to Desert Radio last week, Mudge said over recent years about 90% of attendees at the party’s congresses were non-white.

“You’re invited to see for yourself at our upcoming congress in October. For example, out of 250 to 300 participants, there might be only five or 10 whites,” he said.

The RP is focused on ensuring competent individuals, particularly young black people and more senior members, represent Namibians in parliament, Mudge said.

“We started off as a party for the grassroots level, which to me is very important because they are the people who are really suffering. Whatever their needs are, is what we want to address and what we want to bring forward to the ministers and whoever we speak to.”

Mudge said after independence, white people were associated with apartheid and were often labelled “apartheid people”.

They were blamed for various atrocities perpetrated during the apartheid era, he added.

“Everything that went wrong in the country was blamed on the whites. They felt increasingly marginalised, to the point where many decided, ‘We are being treated as second-class citizens. We’ll focus on our businesses and let the black people handle politics’,” said Mudge.

He said the RP avoids making promises during elections and focuses on action.

“I’ve warned my people that if I find them making promises to the people, they will be fired. We cannot make promises. If you’re not in control, how are you going to fulfil those promises that you make to the people? All we say to the people is, make us strong and we will make you strong,” he said.

According to Mudge, poverty and unemployment have made people desperate and gullible.

He said during election campaigns, political parties exploit the situation by promising things like land and job opportunities to gain votes.

“The RP needs the majority in the regional councils and in the local authority. Then we will show you what to do because we know what to do. We know exactly what needs to be done in the country to resolve these problems. I want to get to that, just in terms of where you see certain solutions in certain gaps,” he said.

Mudge further expressed concern about foreign influence, particularly from “Chinese businesses”, which he believes are harming local economies by driving Namibians out of business.

“What we allowed to happen was for foreigners to come in and take over our natural resources. I mean, if you just think, you probably saw profit and how did they pay to our government, dividends and also taxes?”

Political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah says assessing the RP’s membership composition, leadership diversity and overall representation will determine whether it is white-dominated or not.

“From that perspective, the RP is indeed a largely white-dominated support-base party,” he says.

Kamwanyah, however, agrees with Mudge’s stance regarding the RP’s approach to election promises.

“His argument against making promises could be seen as an attempt to avoid the pitfalls of unfulfilled commitments and to focus on actionable and measurable outcomes.”

Mudge’s approach may appeal to voters who are frustrated with politicians who make grand promises without delivering, Kamwanyah says.

“Mudge’s statements highlight a pragmatic approach to governance.”

Political analyst Ben Mulongeni says the RP split from the National Party, which was a “white” party.

Mulongeni says parties are open for anyone to join.

He says Mudge’s sentiments on making promises would make more sense if he made unrealistic promises.

“That’s contradicting. What is the message when he campaigns? I quote him to say ‘make us strong and we will make you strong’, that on its own is a promise,” he says.

“Those that don’t want to make promises must sit down and drink some coffee,” adds Mulongeni.