Newly elected President for the Independent Patriots for Change, Dr. Panduleni Itula has said that it was never his intention for him to create a political party.
Her said his party came about as a result of people that he consulted and that he simply acted as a facilitator.
Speaking on what key areas he will champion, Itula said his party will trim the powers of the President when his party assumes power.
“The people decided what type of change it will be. I am not going to be the master of that. The people marched in their thousands. I had an obligation to them. Having taken them out of their homes and also their political comforts to seek that they get a new home,” he said.
Itula was speaking at the sidelines of the just ended launch of the IPC which elected and swore its leadership structure ahead of critical elections this coming November.
He said he would not be “proud to be led by someone who knowingly or unknowingly benefitted from money laundering”.
Her also commented on whether his party was radical, moderate or conservative.
“I think that we have terminologies that are confusing us here, radical, conservative. Conservative about what radical about what? What we want is to restore the dignity of our people and to restore the right that our people have in the constitution, to be able to exercise their right in participating in political activities.
Whether that is called radical, whether that is called conservative, conserving ourselves or conservative in political ideologies, whatever ideologies and knowledge of ideas we have they will not determine the people. You can have as many ideologies as you want but if you are not feeding the people your ideologies are useless,” he said.
Pressed what will make his party different from those formed by individuals that broke away from Swapo, Itula said his is not a break-away party.
“I was expelled from the Swapo party after I actually exercises my constitutional right to participate in political activities. There were not processes. I did not demand for a political party to be formed. I did not form a political party. I did not break away from any political party either. The fact stands that I was unceremoniously expelled because of their fear of any one exercising their constitutional right. The President of Swapo is in fear of that. The Secretary General of Swapo said they will deal with me whatever that meant,” he said.
Itula said timing has been of essence for his camp.
He said what sets him apart from APP, Code and RDP is that he did not resign from the ruling party and that “we went to the grassroots and asked the people if they wanted a new political home”.