Quotes: "The sudden assertion of human criteria within a dehumanising framework of political manipulation can be like a flash of lightning illuminating a dark landscape
- Vaclav Havel"
The withdrawal of the NamPrint tender by the Electoral Commission of Nambia(ECN) is a welcome move.
Th fact that the tender has been withdrawn after pressure from various political parties that are contesting the elections is a sure sign that the credibility of elections was going to be questioned.
The other important aspect to consider is that the political parties did well in threatening to boycott the elections because obviously they were expressing their democratic right and it was definitely an irregularity to award Namprint the tender given that its a SWAPO owned company.The award was simply going to jeopardise the whole electoral process which ws not going to be a good thing for the country's democracy,even Namibia is still a growing democracy.
It is important to note that the transparency of ECN was going to be questioned especially in the event that the ruling party wins the elections and in essence would defeat the tenets of democracy.
It is a lesson learnt that in the near future, such tenders which hinged on elections should be thorughly scrtunised and awarded on merit.
