SOME of Namibia's opposition parties are like cry babies. Every time there are elections, they have a tendency to come up with flimsy excuses so as to find reason to discredit the electoral process.

The latest such gimmick is a complaint about the two days that have been set aside for the November polls. A number of opposition parties see this as a ploy by their political nemesis - the Swapo Party to allow more time for rigging the elections. They argue that the country, given the size of its population, does not need two days of voting.

"This will lead to vote rigging and other corrupt practices. The size of the country does not warrant for elections to be extended over two days," fumed Nghingiluandumbo Kashume, the Secretary for Information of the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) during an interview with a Sunday weekly.

Natjirikasorua Tjirera of the Congress of Democrats characterises the decision to have two days of voting as "self-defeating and irresponsible".

Kashume, a former member of Swapo and long time functionary of the ruling party, knows too well that the entire electoral process is out of the hands of the ruling party.

He should know better, more so that none other than former Director of Elections Phillemon Kanime has since joined his party and is in a better position to confide in him about the integrity and credibility of the electoral system in Namibia. If there are ways of cheating and there are examples thereof, Kanime should know about them, having presided over the directorate of elections himself.

To put it mildly, it is not that Kashume does not know that elections in Namibia have always passed the test. In fact, Kashume has never complained about cheating or rigging of the elections before and we wonder why now although we understand why.

As a matter of fact, the Swapo Party has no control over the electoral process save for being an equal participant with the same rights and obligations as the opposition parties. The ruling party cannot dictate to the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) how it should conduct the elections and need not do that.

On the other hand, it is inconceivable that the Swapo Party would seek to rig elections when it can win them fairly and easily, as has been the case in the past. Even with the emergence of the RDP, most commentators agree that there has been no shift in the balance of power and that the ruling party would still win the November elections hands down. So why rig and how can the ruling party rig the elections when the entire process is in the hands of the ECN, which is independent of the Swapo Party?

Political parties should not seek to politicise the election process and thereby create unnecessary suspicion and mistrust of the electoral body. Parties should not try to appeal to the emotions of people by peddling untruths. It is wrong for anyone to try and discredit the electoral process in Namibia for no apparent reason because doing so amounts to incitement.

If anyone has a problem with the legitimacy and legality of certain decisions or actions, there are ways of addressing such complaints including recourse to the courts of law.

Two days of voting do make sense. Elections are a matter of life and death and the more participation by citizens, the better. The destiny of this nation cannot be left to a few to decide because it is too important, hence, the decision to allow for more time for all eligible voters to cast their votes.

Many voters are working people and need time to do their work and vote at the same time. It is also true that some voters like truck or bus drivers might be on the roads because of work. They too will need time to travel back to their constituencies to cast their votes. That would apply to all other people who for one reason or the other might find themselves away from their stations including students who might have changed colleges, not to talk about farm labourers who live deep in the hinterland with no transport to reach the nearest polling stations. Their only means of transport might be donkey carts or horseback to travel to the polling stations. Even with mobile voting stations, others will need to travel in order to vote.

The vote of every Namibian counts and no party should seek to limit their chance to exercise their right to vote for expediency's sake.