Youth has been betrayed, vote wisely – Venaani

Popular Democratic Party (PDM) president McHenry Venaani has proclaimed his party as the beacon of hope for the Namibian youth and the driving force for socio-economic development.

Mentioning the recent political power change in Botswana at a star rally at Walvis Bay on Saturday, he urged Namibians to not allow Swapo to enjoy a two-thirds majority and take the electorate for granted.

“Youth unemployment is the biggest driver of parties losing power, because they cannot give hope to the majority of our citizens. We have been betrayed.

The government’s recent failure to release updated labor statistics is a glaring example of how public trust has been eroded.

The last official unemployment data we have from 2018 revealed an almost 40% unemployment rate,” he said.

“Our learned estimation suggests that the current unemployment rate may be over 50%. They know that if they release the results, those young people will not vote against their own stomachs.”

He said the Namibia Statistics Agency’s job is to gather and distribute data objectively, thus any political meddling should be revealed

“Data manipulation or withholding by the NSA to support a political narrative is erroneous.

We caution and demand that Swapo depoliticise this important entity. Be transparent with the Namibian people and acknowledge your failures.” he said.

Venaani also urged opposition parties to not mislead people at rallies.

“The rich are richer, the poor are poorer.

Namibians will come eat your food and not vote for you.

Why would I let my children go hungry while I vote for you and your children to eat? There is corruption in the fishing sector here at Walvis Bay.

It has led to thousands of fishermen losing jobs,” he said.

Venaani noted that Namibia, especially the Erongo region, is facing water challenges despite being situated near the coast.

“The PDM is dedicated to enhancing the water supply throughout the country.

In order to provide a water supply line for Namibia’s interior and guarantee consistent access to water for farming, the PDM administration would build desalination plants along the coast.

To increase catchment capacity and make it easier to store water for home and agricultural use, we intend to build earth dams in every hamlet and settlement across the country that is currently under water stress.

“We will also install water points within 100 metres of settlements, especially in places where human-wildlife conflict is likely to occur.

We also cannot ignore the persistent problems with sanitation in our communities. This issue affects not just our health, but also our dignity,” he said.

Through the ‘One Constituency, One Factory’ initiative, Venaani promised job creation and the stimulation of local economies.

The party further commits to ensuring universal access to healthcare, tackling the challenges in the education sector, investing 10% of Namibia’s gross domestic product in agriculture, confronting the housing crisis and investing in state-of-the-art sporting facilities to foster athletic development.