Political Perspective
INCOMING President Hifikepunye Pohamba has a marathon task ahead of him, not least in bringing together a deeply divided Swapo.
While initial steps have been taken by the Swapo Politburo and
Central Committee to heal the rift, there is still a long way to go
in reconciling the Party, and this will constitute one of Pohamba's
first big challenges, at least in the political arena.
Many believe he can do it.
OTHERS may maintain that although Pohamba takes over on Monday
as head of state, outgoing President Sam Nujoma remains the Party
leader.
This is so, but Nujoma's authority must surely begin to diminish
in concert with his retirement as President.
Leadership of the Party is important, as it is the Swapo Party
Congress which determines policies; but on the other hand the views
of the incumbent head of state must be taken into account.
There is little doubt, although it has never been publicly
stated, that President Pohamba will be more in favour of
rapprochement than his predecessor.
He has, largely, kept out of the fray even though he was
President Nujoma's chosen successor.
He has not himself participated in the anti-Hidipo Hamutenya
campaigning for example, and neither has he subscribed to the dirty
tricks that have characterised Swapo politics for a long time
now.
It is also in keeping with his role as head of state.
For it should not be forgotten, as it has at times in the past,
that the President leads the nation rather than a single Party,
even though it is the Party that brought him to power.
He has to be all-inclusive as far as the country is concerned,
and again, I believe that President Pohamba has the attributes to
be far more conciliatory than his predecessor.
President Nujoma had his strengths.
He has always been a disciplined man whose love for his country
overshadows all else.
But he has at the same time had weaknesses, which include a
proclivity towards inflexibility, which seems to have manifested
itself more frequently towards the end of his third term in
office.
Many, including myself, believed Pohamba was Nujoma's choice
because the latter could continue to pull the strings of power,
even after his retirement as President, but now I'm not so sure,
and I am certain that when Pohamba's new Cabinet is announced, it
will undoubtedly show us whether he's being his own man in this
process or not.
There is uncertainty as to when this will be.
But it is likely that Pohamba will want some continuity in his
Cabinet while at the same time introducing some younger faces.
It will in all likelihood be a compromise Cabinet, that is, if I
am reading the signs right.
President Pohamba will certainly not want to alienate his
predecessor, but at the same time he is sure to want everyone to
know that he made his own independent choices.
It remains to be seen whether I'm correct or not.
Some people are even speculating that he may bring back Hidipo
Hamutenya, former Foreign Affairs Minister, axed by President
Nujoma last year; or for that matter, former Prime Minister Hage
Geingob.
I do not believe that Hamutenya will be offered a Cabinet post;
and I am not certain that he would accept, even if the unthinkable
did happen.
Not now, at any rate.
Former Prime Minister Geingob, another of President Nujoma's
favourites, is more likely to be given a post, and although he says
he hasn't returned from a top job in Washington for this reason,
there would be little surprise if he was included in one way or
another.
The 15-year era of Nujoma rule will be over on Monday.
And even though his influence will continue to be felt in
political life, directly or indirectly, in the foreseeable future,
he is no longer the man at the helm.
This task now falls squarely on the shoulders of new President
Pohamba.
And it is a formidable one.
For it is not only the Swapo unity question, but other crucial
issues of national importance that need to be tackled.
Mending fences within the ruling Party is of great importance,
though, because it has spilled over into issues affecting good
governance and has negatively affected the mood of the country.
So he probably needs to deal with this first, before turning to
all the other urgent matters that will require his attention from
the moment he is sworn into office on Monday.
Many believe he can do it.OTHERS may maintain that although Pohamba
takes over on Monday as head of state, outgoing President Sam
Nujoma remains the Party leader.This is so, but Nujoma's authority
must surely begin to diminish in concert with his retirement as
President.Leadership of the Party is important, as it is the Swapo
Party Congress which determines policies; but on the other hand the
views of the incumbent head of state must be taken into
account.There is little doubt, although it has never been publicly
stated, that President Pohamba will be more in favour of
rapprochement than his predecessor.He has, largely, kept out of the
fray even though he was President Nujoma's chosen successor.He has
not himself participated in the anti-Hidipo Hamutenya campaigning
for example, and neither has he subscribed to the dirty tricks that
have characterised Swapo politics for a long time now.It is also in
keeping with his role as head of state.For it should not be
forgotten, as it has at times in the past, that the President leads
the nation rather than a single Party, even though it is the Party
that brought him to power.He has to be all-inclusive as far as the
country is concerned, and again, I believe that President Pohamba
has the attributes to be far more conciliatory than his
predecessor.President Nujoma had his strengths.He has always been a
disciplined man whose love for his country overshadows all else.But
he has at the same time had weaknesses, which include a proclivity
towards inflexibility, which seems to have manifested itself more
frequently towards the end of his third term in office.Many,
including myself, believed Pohamba was Nujoma's choice because the
latter could continue to pull the strings of power, even after his
retirement as President, but now I'm not so sure, and I am certain
that when Pohamba's new Cabinet is announced, it will undoubtedly
show us whether he's being his own man in this process or not.There
is uncertainty as to when this will be.But it is likely that
Pohamba will want some continuity in his Cabinet while at the same
time introducing some younger faces.It will in all likelihood be a
compromise Cabinet, that is, if I am reading the signs
right.President Pohamba will certainly not want to alienate his
predecessor, but at the same time he is sure to want everyone to
know that he made his own independent choices.It remains to be seen
whether I'm correct or not.Some people are even speculating that he
may bring back Hidipo Hamutenya, former Foreign Affairs Minister,
axed by President Nujoma last year; or for that matter, former
Prime Minister Hage Geingob.I do not believe that Hamutenya will be
offered a Cabinet post; and I am not certain that he would accept,
even if the unthinkable did happen.Not now, at any rate.Former
Prime Minister Geingob, another of President Nujoma's favourites,
is more likely to be given a post, and although he says he hasn't
returned from a top job in Washington for this reason, there would
be little surprise if he was included in one way or another.The
15-year era of Nujoma rule will be over on Monday.And even though
his influence will continue to be felt in political life, directly
or indirectly, in the foreseeable future, he is no longer the man
at the helm.This task now falls squarely on the shoulders of new
President Pohamba.And it is a formidable one.For it is not only the
Swapo unity question, but other crucial issues of national
importance that need to be tackled.Mending fences within the ruling
Party is of great importance, though, because it has spilled over
into issues affecting good governance and has negatively affected
the mood of the country.So he probably needs to deal with this
first, before turning to all the other urgent matters that will
require his attention from the moment he is sworn into office on
Monday.