Investors must invest on our terms – Shaningwa

…says Swapo manifesto will demand fair share

Swapo secretary general Sophia Shaningwa says this year’s Swapo election manifesto requires those investing in Namibia to do that on Swapo’s terms to achieve a “win-win situation”.

Shaningwa made these remarks at Etayi in the Omusati region on Saturday.

She said the Swapo election manifesto will be launched on 14 September.

“Mee Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is stating that the wealth of the country must be returned to its rightful owners. We will no longer be told that we will only benefit 10% from our natural resources. Ten percent does not work for us,” she said.

“We are inviting them to invest, but when they do so in our country, they must understand that the resources belong to the people of this country. We cannot continue to be dictated to that we can only receive 10% or 5%, while the rest goes out of the country. That system does not work for us. It may work elsewhere, but in Namibia, we must be able to change it, no matter what,” Shaningwa said.

“Investors coming to our country must understand that first and foremost, the resources belong to Namibia. With their money, machinery, and everything else they bring, we need a win-win situation where Namibians also benefit from their resources,” she added.

GREET YOUR VOTER CARDS

Shaningwa also emphasised the importance of vigilance among party members observing the elections on 27 November, urging them not to become complacent to guarantee that the elections are conducted free and fair.

She said election results will be counted at each polling station and party representatives should take photographs of the results as soon as they are signed by the presiding officer.

She advised against accepting food from strangers.

Shaningwa encouraged individuals who are registered to vote in the upcoming presidential and National Assembly elections to ‘acknowledge’ their voter cards daily.

“Greet it every day — good morning or good afternoon, sir,” Shaningwa said, urging registered voters to ensure that they check their voter cards each day.

Political analyst Henning Melber says what Swapo thinks about guiding foreign direct investments is one thing, but what the government recommends and what lawmakers adopt is something else.

“But these are the tones of an arrogance of power, which make potential investors worry,” Melber says.

He advises the government to draft a reliable investment legislation which is in the best interest of the country.

“This means that it should not allow profit generation based on local exploitation of resources which end up in the accounts of foreign stakeholders alone. Regulations should ensure that a fair share of the wealth created benefits the local people — not only a few individuals in an elite,” Melber says.

SCARING INVESTORS

Rally for Democracy and Progress president Mike Kavekotora says there is an inherent confusion in Swapo when it comes to Swapo as a political party and how they perceive the government.

Kavekotora says Swapo fails to make the critical distinction and in the process, derails investment opportunities for Namibia.

“It’s the government and not Swapo that establishes investment policies. The Namibian investment regime must be guided by prudent economic principles in line with the country’s growth strategies,” he says.

Kavekotora says to subject investors to the Swapo manifesto is tantamount to promoting corruption and self enrichment.

He says investment strategies must be subjected to parliament scrutiny and the budget discussion in parliament is the appropriate platform to debate investment strategy, direction and priorities.

“Again, the probability is high that Swapo might not be the next government and in essence, cannot call the shots as far as investment is concerned. That move will simply chase investors away from Namibia to other jurisdictions,” Kavekotora says.