Swapo Youth League accused of trying to rig youth election

AN attempt to manipulate the election of the first executive members of the Oshana Regional Youth Forum by Oshana Region Swapo Youth League members caused the postponement of the Oshana Youth Forum Conference that was to be held on Saturday in Oshakati.

The conference was to choose leaders for the Oshana Region Youth Forum, but the election was called off after the rigging was detected in the submission of nominations of candidates. Sources told The Namibian that the Swapo Party Youth League in Oshana wants the Oshana Region Youth Forum to be led by members of the Oshana Region Swapo Party Youth League only, especially its chairperson.The source said that Ananias Kakonda (Swapo Party Regional Administrator), Ester Philemon (Oshana Region SPYL Secretary) and a member, Samuel Nelongo, allegedly went around the constituencies to prevent the nomination of non-Swapo youth, saying only youth in possession of five-year Swapo Party membership cards should be elected to the new ORYF leadership.Kakonda said the Swapo Party Youth League in the Oshana Region have never told their members to be in possession of the membership cards, at least for five years, but have said that those candidates they have organised from Swapo Youth League should be in possession of a membership card.”We have put candidates from our Swapo Party Youth League in Oshana at all positions of leadership in the Oshana Region Youth Forum, so that if they are elected, we can have control over them in the ORYF,” Kakonda said.Katrina Shimbulu, the acting chairperson of the Oshana Region Youth Forum confirmed to The Namibian on Tuesday that some youth members had complained to her that some members of the Oshana Region Swapo Party Youth League Executive said all youth who will attend the Conference and take part in the election should be members of Swapo Youth League and should have been in possession of a member card for five years.”This is not what the National Youth Council Constitution and its Regional Operational Guidelines (have) stated,” she said.”All youth, whether they have their political party’s membership cards or not, have the right to attend their constituency or regional forums and elect their leaders,” Shimbulu said.”Leaders of Youth Forums should be elected in a just and democratic way,” Shimbulu said.She said that she has taken up this issue with the National Youth Council head office in Windhoek and that the situation had now returned to normal.She said the Oshana Region Youth Forum Conference was scheduled to elect the new leadership of the Oshana Regional Youth Forum today in Oshakati.Shimbulu said political parties should know that the National Youth Council (NYC) and its affiliate regional youth forums were non-political bodies and should be treated as such.Shimbulu appealed to political youth organisations not to hijack the organisation of the ORYF conference and to stop manipulating the submission of nominations of the candidates.”They should allow justice to prevail and not to deny young people the right to elect leaders of their choice,” Shimbulu emphasised.Sources told The Namibian that the Swapo Party Youth League in Oshana wants the Oshana Region Youth Forum to be led by members of the Oshana Region Swapo Party Youth League only, especially its chairperson. The source said that Ananias Kakonda (Swapo Party Regional Administrator), Ester Philemon (Oshana Region SPYL Secretary) and a member, Samuel Nelongo, allegedly went around the constituencies to prevent the nomination of non-Swapo youth, saying only youth in possession of five-year Swapo Party membership cards should be elected to the new ORYF leadership.Kakonda said the Swapo Party Youth League in the Oshana Region have never told their members to be in possession of the membership cards, at least for five years, but have said that those candidates they have organised from Swapo Youth League should be in possession of a membership card.”We have put candidates from our Swapo Party Youth League in Oshana at all positions of leadership in the Oshana Region Youth Forum, so that if they are elected, we can have control over them in the ORYF,” Kakonda said.Katrina Shimbulu, the acting chairperson of the Oshana Region Youth Forum confirmed to The Namibian on Tuesday that some youth members had complained to her that some members of the Oshana Region Swapo Party Youth League Executive said all youth who will attend the Conference and take part in the election should be members of Swapo Youth League and should have been in possession of a member card for five years.”This is not what the National Youth Council Constitution and its Regional Operational Guidelines (have) stated,” she said.”All youth, whether they have their political party’s membership cards or not, have the right to attend their constituency or regional forums and elect their leaders,” Shimbulu said. “Leaders of Youth Forums should be elected in a just and democratic way,” Shimbulu said.She said that she has taken up this issue with the National Youth Council head office in Windhoek and that the situation had now returned to normal.She said the Oshana Region Youth Forum Conference was scheduled to elect the new leadership of the Oshana Regional Youth Forum today in Oshakati.Shimbulu said political parties should know that the National Youth Council (NYC) and its affiliate regional youth forums were non-political bodies and should be treated as such.Shimbulu appealed to political youth organisations not to hijack the organisation of the ORYF conference and to stop manipulating the submission of nominations of the candidates.”They should allow justice to prevail and not to deny young people the right to elect leaders of their choice,” Shimbulu emphasised.