‘It is very rubbish’

… Swapo dismisses AI-generated manifesto claims

Swapo’s says its election manifesto was not generated by artificial intelligence (AI).

The Namibian

Deputy secretary general Uahekua Herunga yesterday rubbished these claims.

This comes after analyst Rui Tyitende accused the party of using ChatGPT to craft its manifesto.

Herunga said the allegations are not true, as Swapo has qualified people who can craft a manifesto.

“It is absolutely rubbish, very rubbish. In the Swapo party, we have highly educated people. We have professors, we have doctors, we have engineers, and we have all kinds of professionals in various fields.

“How can we use artificial intelligence to write our own manifesto?” he asked.

Swapo Party Youth League secretary Ephraim Nekongo on Monday also said the party’s manifesto was carefully crafted by members from various regions.

Nekongo said the party used a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to draft its manifesto.

He said: “The CGE model, a widely recognised tool for ex-ante policy evaluation, allows comprehensive analysis across sectors and agents in the economy, making it indispensable for identifying, selecting and monitoring optimal strategies to tackle development challenges, including youth unemployment.”

The analysis specifically focused on quantifying the spillover effects of public investment on employment, with particular emphasis on youth employment, he said.

“The findings offer critical insights into how targeted policy interventions can drive youth employment and broader economic outcomes, providing evidence-based recommendations for effectively addressing the challenge of youth unemployment in Namibia,” he said.

Nekongo said independent senior economist Mwala Lubinda corroborated and confirmed that the method applied is suitable for undertaking socio-economic forecasting in the most accurate manner.

Swapo vice president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah launched the party’s manifesto over the weekend.

Tyitende over the weekend said the manifesto fails to address socio-economic issues.

He said out of all parties, Swapo had the easiest task of crafting a solid manifesto anchored in what it has achieved over the last 34 years, dissecting the current socio-economic challenges and proposing a comprehensive strategy to address these.

“There is no difference between their manifesto of 1989 and that of 2024. It is an empty ChatGPT manifesto as it fails to address structural socio-economic issues with a sense of urgency.

“If this is what a Nandi-Ndaitwah Presidency would look like, then we are not going anywhere, but will remain stuck in the mud,” he said.