OPINIONS - COLUMNS
| 2013-07-26Political Perspective
Gwen Lister
WOULD it help, I wonder, to appeal to the conscience of the nation, and to remind, in particular the so-called veterans of the struggle, that they did what they did for the freedom of Namibia on a voluntary basis at the time and without expectation of a reward? I’ve warned before and I do so again, that the ‘entitlement’ issue, namely giving payback to all and sundry for what they did to advance the cause of independence, will bankrupt us eventually.
Not only this, but the decisions about who gets and who doesn’t, is wide open to abuse of every kind. The measurements used for sacrifice are clearly flawed, most particularly because political leadership themselves, almost without exception, and despite lucrative years in public service, see themselves as deserving recipients of such assistance as well.
The matter could have been solved once and for all, immediately after independence, with a decent pension package for combatants (on both sides). Further than that, no one should have benefitted. And instead, the millions that have been poured into this bottomless well of entitlement could have been used to empower and uplift communities rather than individuals.
Recently, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs made what was a humane yet misguided gesture, which simply opened the sluice gates for yet another rash of requests. When they decided to grant veterans status to a 40-year-old man who as a child was roasted over a fire by Koevoet 27 years ago, they should have known that anyone who could lay claim to any kind of suffering in the war years would follow suit. I need to point out here that I am not unsympathetic to the plight of those who suffered physically and otherwise because of their family’s commitment to liberation. Quite the contrary. But if we are to reward everyone, especially people in the northern regions who were subject to SA military and police torture and/or harassment, we will never hear the end of it. For such actions and atrocities were frequently reported in the occupation years.
Yet another man has come forward in the local daily Namibian Sun, similarly calling for veteran status due to the fact that his family was involved in a bombing in those years, with resultant injury to himself and others. Although he is employed, he maintains that “we have been forgotten and received nothing from government”. The response from the Permanent Secretary of Veterans Affairs, William Amugulu, is further evidence that government are almost literally venturing into a minefield when they try to quantify and classify which form of suffering is entitled to reward and which not.
He argues that the case of the youth who was roasted was different because he was a PLAN ‘messenger’. The other man who has come forward to claim support, says Amugulu, was nine years old at the time and clearly not carrying out “specific activities” for Swapo, which would have made him eligible for veterans status. “ ... but just to get caught in the crossfire wouldn’t make one a veteran of the liberation struggle”. Dangerous distinctions. It seems the Swapo membership then, is still the main criteria for veteran status, which if so, is grossly unfair and the reason why the whole process has been flawed from the start. It’s only a matter of time before an aggrieved applicant takes the matter to court.
I made the argument for fighters to get decent pensions because they were recruited into the military. They didn’t have a choice when they left Namibia to go into exile and were sent to the front for PLAN; and neither did those who fought on the South African side largely, because most were in fact conscripted.
For the rest, thousands supported Swapo in various ways during those years and were forced to pay in one way or another, with their lives, physical harm, damage to property, arrest and detention, the list goes on. If one could not reward all, one should not reward one. To choose some over others is blatantly insulting to the many who lost loved ones, sacrificed education and other opportunities, all because they believed in the liberation of Namibia.
At the same time, because political leadership took first (and most undeservedly of all) one has to have understanding for the fact that others who haven’t had the same opportunities and gainful employment and privilege and perks since independence, also want their share.
It seems right now that the Swapo leadership did what they did in the struggle in order to later reap the rewards. I regret to say that in the process they have compromised their own liberation credentials and caused others to follow suit. The veterans issue will not end well.
Follow me on Twitter @GwenLister1
The matter could have been solved once and for all, immediately after independence, with a decent pension package for combatants (on both sides). Further than that, no one should have benefitted. And instead, the millions that have been poured into this bottomless well of entitlement could have been used to empower and uplift communities rather than individuals.
Recently, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs made what was a humane yet misguided gesture, which simply opened the sluice gates for yet another rash of requests. When they decided to grant veterans status to a 40-year-old man who as a child was roasted over a fire by Koevoet 27 years ago, they should have known that anyone who could lay claim to any kind of suffering in the war years would follow suit. I need to point out here that I am not unsympathetic to the plight of those who suffered physically and otherwise because of their family’s commitment to liberation. Quite the contrary. But if we are to reward everyone, especially people in the northern regions who were subject to SA military and police torture and/or harassment, we will never hear the end of it. For such actions and atrocities were frequently reported in the occupation years.
Yet another man has come forward in the local daily Namibian Sun, similarly calling for veteran status due to the fact that his family was involved in a bombing in those years, with resultant injury to himself and others. Although he is employed, he maintains that “we have been forgotten and received nothing from government”. The response from the Permanent Secretary of Veterans Affairs, William Amugulu, is further evidence that government are almost literally venturing into a minefield when they try to quantify and classify which form of suffering is entitled to reward and which not.
He argues that the case of the youth who was roasted was different because he was a PLAN ‘messenger’. The other man who has come forward to claim support, says Amugulu, was nine years old at the time and clearly not carrying out “specific activities” for Swapo, which would have made him eligible for veterans status. “ ... but just to get caught in the crossfire wouldn’t make one a veteran of the liberation struggle”. Dangerous distinctions. It seems the Swapo membership then, is still the main criteria for veteran status, which if so, is grossly unfair and the reason why the whole process has been flawed from the start. It’s only a matter of time before an aggrieved applicant takes the matter to court.
I made the argument for fighters to get decent pensions because they were recruited into the military. They didn’t have a choice when they left Namibia to go into exile and were sent to the front for PLAN; and neither did those who fought on the South African side largely, because most were in fact conscripted.
For the rest, thousands supported Swapo in various ways during those years and were forced to pay in one way or another, with their lives, physical harm, damage to property, arrest and detention, the list goes on. If one could not reward all, one should not reward one. To choose some over others is blatantly insulting to the many who lost loved ones, sacrificed education and other opportunities, all because they believed in the liberation of Namibia.
At the same time, because political leadership took first (and most undeservedly of all) one has to have understanding for the fact that others who haven’t had the same opportunities and gainful employment and privilege and perks since independence, also want their share.
It seems right now that the Swapo leadership did what they did in the struggle in order to later reap the rewards. I regret to say that in the process they have compromised their own liberation credentials and caused others to follow suit. The veterans issue will not end well.
Follow me on Twitter @GwenLister1
