Hamutenya Is The Right Man
THE prevailing silence on the issue of succession must be rejected without fear.
I tend to agree with Mr. Kandetu's argument (The Race for
Succession, New Era, 10-11-03) that the "political landscape is too
quiet for comfort about the future of the country...even more so
when .......it has been reported that the incumbent is stepping
down".
The first president of our country has announced his retirement
in accordance with the country's supreme law, a social contract of
exceptional quality.
While we continue to recite our appreciation in respect of his
sustained commitment and dedication to our cause, our (together
with him) focus and attention is being called onto the next person
to succeed this great son of the soil and principal foot soldier of
the dreams of our great ancestors.
The question of a worthy successor begs for an answer.
This is no mean task, however, calm and peaceful some in our
midst would want us to be.
It is a gigantic task that other successful nations have dealt
with openly and in accordance with democratic principles.
Change of whatever nature and magnitude is very crucial to any
given society.
If not handled properly, it tends to breed regenerative
tendencies difficult to comprehend.
Change is of such a nature that it must be debated and
controlled by those it affects, unless we hope for leaders whose
abilities are bound to fail the test of time, as has been the case
with Zambia and DRC.
On the other hand, an individual attempt at change (however the
intention and machineries involved) has proved to be unreflective
of modern day diverse societies with diverse thinking, as has been
projected by the recent Kenyan letdown.
If our independence and the insertion of the sunset third term
clause has been a national effort, surely succession ought to
be.
Our democratic society ought not to allow itself the agony of
the silence prevailing at the moment.
There should be well-co-ordinated and open efforts without the
usual excessive feeding of the 'regime of rumour mongering'.
Consensus of purpose will only be achieved after we have engaged
ourselves in the dichotomy of a give and take, a reflection of our
march hitherto.
Silence tends to be wrongly equated with understanding and
agreement.
My honest opinion and wish is that the Swapo Party and the
Namibian nation should allow a man like Hidipo Hamutenya to be the
next president of this country.
The challenges and opportunities ahead await an intellectual and
thinker of exceptional qualities ready to turn our dreams in to
realities.
Hamutenya has been and continues to display qualities of a
statesmanship.
His track record has been of a leader whose vision has been
national and eager to give meaning to the maxim of serving the
people.
A forward-looking society tends to reward top performers, and
our society is forward-looking.
Hamutenya has been a top performer all along.
- Razikua J Kaumbi - Via e-mail
The first president of our country has announced his retirement in
accordance with the country's supreme law, a social contract of
exceptional quality. While we continue to recite our appreciation
in respect of his sustained commitment and dedication to our cause,
our (together with him) focus and attention is being called onto
the next person to succeed this great son of the soil and principal
foot soldier of the dreams of our great ancestors. The question of
a worthy successor begs for an answer. This is no mean task,
however, calm and peaceful some in our midst would want us to be.
It is a gigantic task that other successful nations have dealt with
openly and in accordance with democratic principles. Change of
whatever nature and magnitude is very crucial to any given society.
If not handled properly, it tends to breed regenerative tendencies
difficult to comprehend. Change is of such a nature that it must be
debated and controlled by those it affects, unless we hope for
leaders whose abilities are bound to fail the test of time, as has
been the case with Zambia and DRC. On the other hand, an individual
attempt at change (however the intention and machineries involved)
has proved to be unreflective of modern day diverse societies with
diverse thinking, as has been projected by the recent Kenyan
letdown. If our independence and the insertion of the sunset third
term clause has been a national effort, surely succession ought to
be. Our democratic society ought not to allow itself the agony of
the silence prevailing at the moment. There should be
well-co-ordinated and open efforts without the usual excessive
feeding of the 'regime of rumour mongering'. Consensus of purpose
will only be achieved after we have engaged ourselves in the
dichotomy of a give and take, a reflection of our march hitherto.
Silence tends to be wrongly equated with understanding and
agreement. My honest opinion and wish is that the Swapo Party and
the Namibian nation should allow a man like Hidipo Hamutenya to be
the next president of this country. The challenges and
opportunities ahead await an intellectual and thinker of
exceptional qualities ready to turn our dreams in to realities.
Hamutenya has been and continues to display qualities of a
statesmanship. His track record has been of a leader whose vision
has been national and eager to give meaning to the maxim of serving
the people. A forward-looking society tends to reward top
performers, and our society is forward-looking. Hamutenya has been
a top performer all along.- Razikua J Kaumbi - Via e-mail