Don’t Forget to Register

With namibia’s voter registration period ending in less than a week, now is as good a time as any to say: “Jah, neh. Let me sommer just register”.

In a cab on the way to the mall, I appreciate that things are revving up ahead of the National Assembly election and in the race for presidential service, honour and fame.

There’s a man in the street with some fliers.

He’s fighting the good fight against Windhoek’s wild drivers, its unregistered electorate and the winter chill when the cab I’m in pulls up beside him. If the cab driver’s swift move to close our windows had a name, it would certainly be “Tsek!”.

But the determined campaigner is unbothered and faster.

“Don’t forget to register,” the man says, clearly exhausted but triumphant, as he slips a neat political party flier through the dwindling opening of my window before pushing on down the road.

“Elections,” my cab driver says, scoffing, and I ask him if he’s registered to vote. The cabbie laughs as if I’ve cracked a joke but says he plans on registering soon.

If he does, according to information (from 3 June to 20 July) provided by the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) regarding the general registration of voters, the cab driver will join a cumulative total of 1 153 916 Namibians who have registered to vote.

A press release by the ECN states that 164 535 voters were registered between 15 and 20 July and this figure indicates an average of 27 404 registered voters per day. As of 20 July, the total number of registered voters represents 71% of eligible voters.

While registered voter numbers are climbing, the Namibia Statistics Agency reports that the total number of eligible voters is approximately 1 615 910 (763 700 men and 852 100 women). This suggests that there is a significant number of hold-outs and stragglers.

Though people’s reasons for not registering and ultimately not voting include challenges of accessibility, the political and the personal, there are many people who don’t bother simply because they don’t recognise the value of the process.

Allow me to illuminate.

Firstly, the ability to vote is not to be taken for granted.

It was not long ago that this privilege was denied to Namibia’s indigenous population as apartheid and German colonial laws restricted everything from political power to movement.

Eventually, the struggle for independence birthed a free, independent and democratic nation. To quote Namibia’s inspiring anthem, to vote is to honour the “blood that waters our freedom”.

Secondly, to cast your vote is to have a say in your future and a firm ground to speak regarding accountability.

A nation’s leaders, its parliament and president determine the course a country will take as they craft laws and policies, maintain peace, manage the country’s economic resources, uphold human rights and encourage social cohesion amid a diverse populace all deserving of dignity, clean water, ample sustenance, safe and suitable housing, gainful employment, first-rate education and the ability to thrive.

As the November elections loom larger on the horizon, Namibians over 18 years of age and from all walks of life are making their way to registration points in the constituencies in which they live ahead of casting their vote.

On the street, at the villages, at tertiary institutions, on social media and even at karaoke nights, civic-minded Namibians are educating and mobilising voters to participate in the privilege of the democratic process – and it’s a beautiful sight to see.

General registration of voters ends on 1 August, and my wish for all eligible voters is simple. May your voter’s card photo be majestic and may ballot day bring the democracy of your dreams.

– martha@namibian.com.na; Martha Mukaiwa on Twitter and Instagram; marthamukaiwa.com