SWAPO Party 1290 views

What is SWAPO PARTY?
SWAPO Party is a mass political movement formed on 19 April 1960 that liberated Namibia in 1990 from colonial and apartheid oppression which were imposed by the racist South African regime against the Namibian people.

SWAPO Party now serves as the ruling Party in Namibia committed to peace justice and democracy.

SWAPO Party is committed and hard at work to transform the country into a developed nation.

SWAPO Party has been and continues to improve the lives of ordinary citizens by providing the needed services in all corners of the country.

SWAPO Party has set in motions tangible short and long term programmes and projects which have transformed the country�s economy that has improved the lives of the Namibian people.

SWAPO stands for South West African People Organization.

Aims and Objectives
To unite the people of Namibia, irrespective of race, religion, sex, or ethnic origin into a democratic, vibrant and peace-loving nation;

To defend and protect Namibia�s hard-won freedom and independence;

To foster a sense of common purpose and collective destiny among the Namibian people;

To combat retrogressive tendencies of tribalism, ethnicity, nepotism, racism, sexism, chauvinism, regionalism, personality cult, etc.;

To instill in the Namibian people a spirit of patriotism and to develop in them the consciousness that they are masters of the own destiny;

To educate the people to uphold, with honour and pride, Namibia�s emblems which constitute the symbols of the country�s sovereignty, the constitution, the national flag, the national anthem, the coat of arms, etc.;

To promote the development of the culture of the Namibian people through the reconstruction of the nation�s system of education, the encouragement of cultural exchanges with other nations as well as incentives to Namibians who show potential for technological and artistic creativity;

To ensure that Namibia works, on the one hand, in close cooperation with other African states, to advance the cause of African unity and, with all the other states to promote world peace and security, on the other;

To fight under development, poverty, illiteracy and disease;

To promote accelerated economic development and to create a balance and inter-linkages between the primary and the secondary sectors of our economy in order to promote self-reliance and the upliftment of the standard of living of the vast majority of the Namibian people;

To invest by way of acquiring shares or otherwise in any viable business, venture or enterprise; and

to establish companies, close corporations and any other business organization, either wholly owned by the PARTY or the PARTY in partnership with either organizations or institutions, with the view to generating funds necessary to ensure the smooth function and operations of the PARTY.

Historical Background
The Formation of SWAPO
The historical developments through which SWAPO evolved can be explained in four important stages. The fundamental question which confronted the people of Namibia towards the end of 1950s was the establishment of a political organization or a party which was capable of providing leadership and an organizational framework. The yearning for freedom was inspired by the pioneers of the resistance movements such Hendrik Witbooi, Samuel Maharero, Jacob Marenga, Iipumbu ya Tshilongo, Mandume Ndemufayo and Nicodemus Kahimemwa, to mention just a few.

The Liberation Strategies
From the very beginning, SWAPO was deeply rooted in the working class and the peasants since the system of contract labour was one of the most blatant manifestations of colonial oppression and exploitation in Namibia. It was the sweat of the contract labourers that built prosperity for the apartheid economy. The workers were treated worse than dogs. The experience of this barbaric system is still fresh in the memories of our people. The historic identification of SWAPO, as a movement, with the interest of the toiling masses of the Namibian people is one of the main factors, explaining its resilience when compared to other anti-colonial groups in Namibia, which have either collapsed or remained paper organizations. SWAPO stood a test of time and was able to weather the storms of South African repression and became a mass political movement that united people from all sectors of the Namibian society.

The first half of the 1960s witnessed the dynamic development of movement, characterized by the consolidation of SWAPO in the Namibian society. The objective of SWAPO was to fight relentlessly for freedom and genuine independence of Namibia to translate the hopes and aspirations of the people of Namibia into reality. In order to articulate the hopes and aspirations of the people of Namibia as well as to advance the cause of freedom, SWAPO formulated four fronts which were simultaneously successfully carried out; namely:

1. Political Mobilization Mass Mobilization at Home
2. Diplomatic Front
3. Military Front
4. Education Front

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