PDM leader McHenry Venaani
The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) launched its 2019 manifesto in Windhoek Wednesday with promises of cutting down the cabinet to 15.
The highly ambitious manifesto says there will be the president, a prime minister and four deputy ministers.
It says the posts of vice president and deputy prime minister will be abolished. A number of ministries will be merged. These are Finance and Economic Planning; Health, Gender and Social Services; Agrarian, Water and Land Reform; Home Affairs and National Security; Information, Research and Digital Economy; Mines, Energy, Works and Transport.
There will be a new ministry, Coordination, Evaluation and Implementation within the prime minister’s office.
The four deputies will be for finance and Economic Planning; Education, Science, Sports and Culture; Housing Local and Regional Governance and Health, Gender and Social Affairs.
One of the policies PDM will pursue is not to punish any former leaders and will protect war veterans through social practicable policies.
“We shall approach issues of benefits to war veterans through special insurance and schemes that are sustainable to address remnants of the past war including Swatf and struggle kids.
According to the manifesto, PDM shall:
- Have zero tolerance for corruption
- Strengthen the ACC
- Develop water catchment through One Dam, One Village policy
- Shrink unemployment from 28 per cent to below 11 per cent
- Bring development closer to the people by leveraging One, Constituency One Factory policy
- Allocate erven through urban resettlement under the One Namibian One Plot policy
- Invest 4 per cent of GDP in agriculture
- Lower teacher-pupil ration by building cheaper schools
- Lower doctor-patient ratio
- Develop free tertiary education in key faculties
- Pursue value addition of goods and commodities
- Invest in renewable energy
- Develop a made in Namibia solar panel
- Allocate every student a computer from primary school level
- Support single mothers below the poverty line
- Accelerate land reform by developing virgin land
- Create jobs through charcoal production
