Storm over NDP, PDM, and BCP manifestos showing identical health education proposals 

Three political parties are in the eye of a storm after it was discovered that sections of their manifestos read the same.

This raises questions on their authenticity.

The parties involved are the Namibia Democratic Party (NDP), the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), and the Body of Christ Party (BCP).
Excerpts of their plans on how to improve Namibia’s education system read exactly the same.

In its manifesto the PDM says: “Work with the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) and maximally utilise other platforms of mass media communication to produce health education content to be aired on all NBC platforms.

“Health programming across multi-media platforms must be utilised to reach people in all social spaces and ensure that the learning, visual and hearing tools and aids for people with disabilities are taken into account when producing health content.”

The BCP says: “The BCP government will work with the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) and maximise other forms of mass communication to produce health education content to be aired on all NBC platforms. Health programming across multi-media platforms must be utilised to reach people in all social spaces and ensure that the learning, visual and hearing tools and aids for people with disabilities are taken into account when producing health content.”

In the same way the NDP says: “The NDP government will work with the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) and maximally utilise other forms of mass communication to produce health education content to be aired on all NBC platforms. Health programming across multi-media platforms must be utilised to reach people in all social spaces and ensure that the learning, visual and hearing tools and aids for people with disabilities are taken into account when producing health content.”

PDM leader McHenry Venaani says his manifesto is a product of his party’s congress.

“A lot of inputs came from health experts around the party and people who came in and raised a number of issues on broad-based information dissemination and health,” he says.

Venaani says the similarities between the manifestos could point to plagiarism, questioning how parties that don’t collaborate have identical wording.

“We were the first party to launch a manifesto in the country. We couldn’t have copied from them. It could be the other way around,” he says.

“I don’t know where they get it from, but there could be consensus on this, or perhaps they just copied it. We don’t know, ours was the only manifesto throughout the whole country,” he says.

‘THEY COPIED US’

NDP leader Martin Lukato has accused the other two parties of copying his party’s manifesto.

“In politics there are mature leaders like me, and there are amateurs who have to ask and copy,” he says.

Lukato says the NDP’s manifesto was copied from older manifestos of 2014 and 2019.

He says only a few changes were made.

“I am used to people copying from me. Swapo has done it before. The Harambee Prosperity Plan is copied from the NDP policy and the Constitution,” he says.

Lukato says the only technology used on the manifesto was adding pictures to the document, adding the party did not use ChatGPT.

“Politics in its own way is a competition, so I don’t mind them copying from me, because they are not mature,” he says.

BCP leader Festus Thomas says he suspects his research team may have copied the manifesto.

“We sent teams to go and do research and bring us proposals. We visited hospitals – Ondandjokwe, Oshakati and Grootfontein – where we learned what the challenges facing the sector are,” he says.

Thomas says an investigation will be launched into the matter.

“I have not read the two manifestos before we drafted ours,” he says.

Thomas, who during the manifesto launch highlighted transparency and accountability, says voters can still trust him.

COINCIDENCE?

Ndumba Kamwanyah, a political analyst, says it is unlikely that the identical manifestos are a coincidence.

“It’s possible that these parties were drawing from the same policy ideas or experts when drafting their health proposals,” he says.

Kamwanyah says similarities could be due to using the same consultants or international health recommendations.

“Public health education and the use of mass media to reach broader audiences are common goals for many governments, and working with the NBC seems like a practical approach in Namibia,” he says.

“It’s also possible that one party drafted the policy, and the others saw its value and included it in their own manifestos, either through direct copying or by adapting the idea,” he says.

“We should also consider whether these parties have the resources and commitment to actually work with the NBC to cater to individuals with disabilities,” Kamwanyah says.