WINDHOEK: Political parties ‘ manifestos have lost value and often do little to reflect the party ‘ s political ideology . More often , such manifestos merely spell out a plan of action for deliverables on vital services such as health care , housing , education and employment amongst others . This is the collective view of panellists during a discussion titled ‘ What Namibia ‘ s 2024 elections means for jobs and big investment ‘ on Friday . The discussion had a sub – theme – ‘ Economic shifts and social equity ‘, which focused on the importance of political manifestos , amongst others . The panel discussion , which was hosted by the ministry of Information and Communication Technology , was streamed live . The discussion came at the tail end of a week – long workshop for community journalists on election reporting , which covered topics such as fact checking , right of reply , ethical reporting and effective coverage tools . Panellists include sociologist Dr Basilus Kasera , Researcher Martha Nangolo , human
rights activists Linda Baumann and media lecturer Dr Phillip Santos . Dr Kasera noted that political manifestos , which are supposed to inform a prospective voter on the ideology of the party concerned , have merely become an endless list of promises . Such promises revolve around naming service delivery targets and do little to address in detail how such targets could be attained . ‘ When we hear these promises , one wonders if they are truly achievable . If someone says he will do this and that , but does not explain in detail how that will be achieved – it may raise doubts into the mind of the voter ,’ he said . He added that most manifestos have no concrete timelines , do not speak directly to the electorate and appear frivolous in their promises to the electorate . ‘ Some manifestos are more like when a boy proposes love to a girl – all promises with no real real purpose . This should not be the case ,’ he noted . Baumann said there appears to be a general lack of respect for the electorate by political
parties in the timing of when to release their manifestos , as such are often released late and too close to the election . This makes it difficult for anyone – including journalists – to effectively critique or break down the document for the voters ‘ benefit . ‘ Journalists and voters both need to hold politicians accountable by questioning their plans and effectively reporting on them , but it does not help when such plans are presented late . Dr Santos urged journalists to avoid being mere amplifiers of what political parties state in their manifestos , but apply a critical approach to their reporting for the benefit of the electorate . Namibians will go to the polls on 27 November for the country ‘ s Presidential and National Assembly elections . Some political parties , such as Swapo , Independent Patriots for Change ( IPC ), Popular Democratic Movement ( PDM ) are amongst parties that have already launched their manifestos .

Source: The Namibia News Agency