A Gracious and Historic Occasion
IN the words of our reporter who covered the historic event, it was a "highly-charged moment which brought lumps to the throats" of many of those present in Parliament for what President Sam Nujoma himself described as "the last State of the Nation address by the founding President of the Republic of Namibia".
And while it is not the final moment in what will next year
constitute a 15-year presidency, it was nevertheless a leave-taking
of sorts, which, after such a long period of time and uncertainty
over a possible fourth term, seemed to herald a new phase for
Namibian democracy.
It must be said that the President was both gracious and
dignified in his address to Parliament, saying he had been
privileged to serve Namibians and thanking them for having given
him the chance to lead the nation.
And perhaps more importantly, he gave reassurances.
For many his departure from office will be a tumultuous event,
and there are doubtless some Namibians who are uncertain about what
the future will bring.
Nujoma said he was confident that a foundation had been laid
that would lead to a prosperous future for generations to come and
implied full support for his successor.
"I leave office with the full confidence that the new head of
state who will emerge after the November elections will continue to
build on the foundation that we have collectively laid and will
lead this proud nation to greater economic prosperity".
Nujoma's statement prompted even opposition leaders to lavish
words of warm praise and appreciation on the President, and they
also rose to their feet with Swapo colleagues to give him a
standing ovation.
DTA President Katuutire Kaura referred to the President's
"unequalled statesmanship" in allowing a younger generation to take
Namibia into the future.
"Your spirit will guide Namibia for another thousand years to
come", and "Namibia will never forget you," he emphasised.
Yet another opposition leader, Ben Ulenga, whose relations with
President Nujoma have been uncomfortable since he parted ways with
Swapo, referred to the President "as one of (Namibia's) most
illustrious sons".
There is little doubt that Nujoma, whose demeanour was pleasant
and whose smiles became even broader at the praise heaped upon his
head, was gratified by the reaction of Parliament.
We would, to a large extent, echo the accolades in some
respects.
There is little doubt that Nujoma's contribution to this
country's independence process, self-determination and final
independence, is unquestionable.
He has also succeeded in attaining a stability which is more
precious than many might think.
There are other areas, less well-managed, and about which our
viewpoint is well known, but these are largely overshadowed by his
timeous decision to step down.
Suffice to say, we were also pleased to note that the President,
in his lengthy address, pinpointed the problem of corruption,
saying that even though he was stepping down, Government should
continue to work 'tirelessly' to rid the country of this
scourge.
While we are of the opinion that far more could have, and should
have, been done to deal with the problem, we nevertheless feel that
Nujoma's legacy as Head of State consists largely of his
contribution to peace and stability - and the importance of this
cannot be overemphasised.
However, corruption cannot be left unchallenged and, hopefully,
since Nujoma has ensured a stable environment, his successor will
indeed prioritise getting to grips with this serious issue in the
future.
Meanwhile, we congratulate the President on his graciousness and
dignity in his leave-taking and hope that this will lay the
groundwork for a fair and democratic succession contest.
It must be said that the President was both gracious and dignified
in his address to Parliament, saying he had been privileged to
serve Namibians and thanking them for having given him the chance
to lead the nation.And perhaps more importantly, he gave
reassurances.For many his departure from office will be a
tumultuous event, and there are doubtless some Namibians who are
uncertain about what the future will bring.Nujoma said he was
confident that a foundation had been laid that would lead to a
prosperous future for generations to come and implied full support
for his successor."I leave office with the full confidence that the
new head of state who will emerge after the November elections will
continue to build on the foundation that we have collectively laid
and will lead this proud nation to greater economic
prosperity".Nujoma's statement prompted even opposition leaders to
lavish words of warm praise and appreciation on the President, and
they also rose to their feet with Swapo colleagues to give him a
standing ovation.DTA President Katuutire Kaura referred to the
President's "unequalled statesmanship" in allowing a younger
generation to take Namibia into the future."Your spirit will guide
Namibia for another thousand years to come", and "Namibia will
never forget you," he emphasised.Yet another opposition leader, Ben
Ulenga, whose relations with President Nujoma have been
uncomfortable since he parted ways with Swapo, referred to the
President "as one of (Namibia's) most illustrious sons".There is
little doubt that Nujoma, whose demeanour was pleasant and whose
smiles became even broader at the praise heaped upon his head, was
gratified by the reaction of Parliament.We would, to a large
extent, echo the accolades in some respects.There is little doubt
that Nujoma's contribution to this country's independence process,
self-determination and final independence, is unquestionable.He has
also succeeded in attaining a stability which is more precious than
many might think.There are other areas, less well-managed, and
about which our viewpoint is well known, but these are largely
overshadowed by his timeous decision to step down.Suffice to say,
we were also pleased to note that the President, in his lengthy
address, pinpointed the problem of corruption, saying that even
though he was stepping down, Government should continue to work
'tirelessly' to rid the country of this scourge.While we are of the
opinion that far more could have, and should have, been done to
deal with the problem, we nevertheless feel that Nujoma's legacy as
Head of State consists largely of his contribution to peace and
stability - and the importance of this cannot be
overemphasised.However, corruption cannot be left unchallenged and,
hopefully, since Nujoma has ensured a stable environment, his
successor will indeed prioritise getting to grips with this serious
issue in the future.Meanwhile, we congratulate the President on his
graciousness and dignity in his leave-taking and hope that this
will lay the groundwork for a fair and democratic succession
contest.