Will he be President?
By: GWEN LISTERSO the President finally got to Pohamba! Must have if the Swapo Vice President and Lands Minister has now decided to run for the Presidency when it was an open secret that he really wanted to retire.
And even if he protests to the contrary with the usual Swapo-speak
that he's always ready to serve his country and his people when
called upon to do so, we know it's not really what he wants.
EVEN in the midst of much conjecture about a Presidential
successor, I continue to maintain my earlier stance that the
incumbent will only stand down if Hifikepunye Pohamba agrees to the
nomination.
Now the question of course is whether other Presidential
hopefuls will come out of the closet and declare their interest, or
whether they'll be intimidated into silence and submission and
support the President's choice regardless of how they really feel
about it.
I suppose 'President Pohamba' has a certain ring to it, but I'm
sure there's a majority feeling that the Swapo Vice President,
however amenable and likable he may be, just hasn't got what it
takes to be head of state.
At least not an autonomous one, and there will be few people who
will believe he's making his own decisions if and when he ever gets
the country's top job! Somewhere perhaps there's a strategy at work
that I haven't yet cottoned onto.
I'm also somewhat baffled as to why the Swapo Vice President
chose the medium of the Afrikaans language daily to inform the
people of his decision to make himself available as a Presidential
candidate! But time will tell what's behind it.
Pohamba, if he is the one, will be very accommodating to his
predecessor and consult him on just about everything.
We should be in no doubt as to who's the boss when and if he
takes over.
Other prospective candidates, as I've said before, may prefer to
make their own decisions and their own choices, and alienate the
former President, because they want to be 'their own man'.
This is most likely the one thing that does not sit well with
President Nujoma, because there is little doubt, that even if he
stands down, he would like to continue having his say.
In fact he might find it hard not to when he has presided over
Swapo since its formation in 1960, and over the country since its
independence in 1990.
Having had so much power, and this applies to most people, it
must be awfully hard to let go and stand back.
In some ways it is even perhaps understandable.
There is no doubt that the issue of the country's stability is
close to the President's heart, and he may feel that his continued
presence, in one way or another, is essential for it; and likewise
a rift, real or perceived, between himself and a successor, would
not augur well for either party or national unity (at least in the
perceptions of some).
And while this may touch on how the President feels about
things, it does not necessarily mean that a candidate not
sanctioned by him personally, would bring the country to wrack and
ruin.
He has a responsibility, clearly, to abide by the wishes of the
ruling party on this issue, even if they do make a choice which is
not his own, and to give his full support to his successor.
The choice remains his as to whether the handover of power is a
smooth and unruffled one, and this depends on whether he foists his
decision on others, or allows the voice of the people of the Party
to speak out on their wishes.
If the latter happens, then it will certainly contribute to a
growth in the maturity of the ruling party, in particular, and our
democracy in general.
We don't need an all-powerful, autocratic head of state, and
perhaps it is now time to break with the tradition of the past, for
there are few candidates who could wield sufficient power to follow
in Nujoma's footsteps in this regard.
But we do need a President who will lead by good example.
Let's hope we can find him or her!
EVEN in the midst of much conjecture about a Presidential
successor, I continue to maintain my earlier stance that the
incumbent will only stand down if Hifikepunye Pohamba agrees to the
nomination. Now the question of course is whether other
Presidential hopefuls will come out of the closet and declare their
interest, or whether they'll be intimidated into silence and
submission and support the President's choice regardless of how
they really feel about it. I suppose 'President Pohamba' has a
certain ring to it, but I'm sure there's a majority feeling that
the Swapo Vice President, however amenable and likable he may be,
just hasn't got what it takes to be head of state. At least not an
autonomous one, and there will be few people who will believe he's
making his own decisions if and when he ever gets the country's top
job! Somewhere perhaps there's a strategy at work that I haven't
yet cottoned onto. I'm also somewhat baffled as to why the Swapo
Vice President chose the medium of the Afrikaans language daily to
inform the people of his decision to make himself available as a
Presidential candidate! But time will tell what's behind it.
Pohamba, if he is the one, will be very accommodating to his
predecessor and consult him on just about everything. We should be
in no doubt as to who's the boss when and if he takes over. Other
prospective candidates, as I've said before, may prefer to make
their own decisions and their own choices, and alienate the former
President, because they want to be 'their own man'. This is most
likely the one thing that does not sit well with President Nujoma,
because there is little doubt, that even if he stands down, he
would like to continue having his say. In fact he might find it
hard not to when he has presided over Swapo since its formation in
1960, and over the country since its independence in 1990. Having
had so much power, and this applies to most people, it must be
awfully hard to let go and stand back. In some ways it is even
perhaps understandable. There is no doubt that the issue of the
country's stability is close to the President's heart, and he may
feel that his continued presence, in one way or another, is
essential for it; and likewise a rift, real or perceived, between
himself and a successor, would not augur well for either party or
national unity (at least in the perceptions of some). And while
this may touch on how the President feels about things, it does not
necessarily mean that a candidate not sanctioned by him personally,
would bring the country to wrack and ruin. He has a responsibility,
clearly, to abide by the wishes of the ruling party on this issue,
even if they do make a choice which is not his own, and to give his
full support to his successor. The choice remains his as to whether
the handover of power is a smooth and unruffled one, and this
depends on whether he foists his decision on others, or allows the
voice of the people of the Party to speak out on their wishes. If
the latter happens, then it will certainly contribute to a growth
in the maturity of the ruling party, in particular, and our
democracy in general. We don't need an all-powerful, autocratic
head of state, and perhaps it is now time to break with the
tradition of the past, for there are few candidates who could wield
sufficient power to follow in Nujoma's footsteps in this regard.
But we do need a President who will lead by good example. Let's
hope we can find him or her!