Giving Praise To A Great Leader
KINDLY allow me space in your highly esteemed newspaper to comment on the opinion piece of Phil ya Nangolo which appeared in the Namibian of April 16, 2004.
I am of the opinion that statements of that nature and in that
fashion should not be left unchallenged by patriotic citizens.
Prophets of Doom have always been there since time memorial, but
the opinion piece in question does not only predict a bleak future
for the country but also mislead the readers with regard to the
calibre of President Sam Nujoma and that of the Swapo Party of
Namibia lest we forget why Swapo emerged.
Such statements should be rejected with the contempt it deserves
by all patriotic citizens and the international friends of
Namibia.
The opinion piece created an impression that our incumbent
President is power hungry, and also misrepresents the facts
relating to the so-called infighting among the Swapo Party rank and
file with regard to succession and a lack of democracy in the
structures of the party.
Every movement or organization has its power dynamics and Swapo
Party should not be singled out for criticism.
The recent breakaway factions of the Official Opposition are
testimony that power dynamics exist in all organizations.
I would like to state that, people of ya Nangolo's calibre
should know better about the political dynamics in this country and
should lead the illiterate masses to the truth and not make use of
public platforms and their knowledge to mislead the youth and
future generations of tomorrow.
It is unfortunate to note that right from the beginning when he
emerged as the Director of the National Society for Human Rights,
he has opposed the Swapo Party of Namibia, its government and
specifically its President and policies.
When one reads between the lines of what he said with regard to
the Swapo Party Central Committee decision to nominate three
candidates for President, not only of the Swapo Party but also of
the country after Dr.
Sam Nujoma, one gets the impression that Swapo does not have
democracy and that all decisions are dictatorially taken by
President Nujoma.
This is a clear misrepresentation of what Swapo is all about and
is intended to sow seeds of doubt and mistrust in the people but
also for the much needed investors intending to invest in the
country.
One just wonders who really pulls the strings of Mr. ya Nangolo?
Democracy was brought in Namibia by Swapo and its leader President
Sam Nujoma.
It has been proven beyond reasonable doubt at the formation of
the Swapo Party and recently by the Swapo Party Central Committee
meeting of April 2, 2004 that the interest of the nation is far
more important than that of an individual.
I hereby submit that is has also been proven by the founding
father of the nation and first President of the independent
Republic of Namibia in his last State of the Nation's Address that
he will leave office by March 21, 2005 with confidence that the new
head of state will build on the foundation that we have built
collectively.
Let us give praise to a great leader comrade! Ya Nangolo also
cites the State House project to justify his claims, forgetting
that the project is for the nation and not for an individual, and
as it was earlier said, "…the State House project should
represent the nation's pride (Not the current one that represent a
fallen racist regime of the former Apartheid South African
administration) and should be a national monument for current and
future generations".
It is only those who are patriots, those who comprehend, those
who are humble that can appreciate the efforts of the Swapo Party
government to build a national monument of that magnitude.
I am confident that if I go to the graves of Mr. ya Nangolo's
parents, I will be able to find a tombstone.
Why should all citizens and a free nation not have something to
relate to, to be proud of and to identify themselves with? I would
like to focus on ya Nangolo's opinion piece in particular but not
limit myself to mention that in general people are out there to
mislead the nation.
In Swapo we have learnt to tolerate this, but I am of the
opinion that they should be opposed and excluded by all peace
loving and progressive citizens, by all means possible! Mr. Ya
Nangolo, the President is not so narcissistic to fire the cadres
that he has led as you think and suggest in your opinion piece.
The President will not dissolve the Parliament to cling to
power, the President is not Robert Mugabe and for that matter
Namibia is certainly not going to take the Zimbabwe route to
resolve the land issue.
A government should make decisions that are in the interest of
the nation and a government is mandated by the electorate to make
decisions on their behalf.
The decision to expropriate land is in the national interest and
in line with the constitutional provisions.
As bona-fida members of the Party, we expect our leaders to take
action and implement the Swapo Party Manifesto of the last
elections.
Please do not try to score cheap political points in this
regard.
I would like to thank the President of the Republic of Namibia
on behalf of those who argue like me for the generous contribution
he has made to the future of the Land of the Brave.
Your dedicated service during the struggle and after
independence will never be forgotten.
Your wise philosophical saying that, "a victim never forgets,
but the doer does" is true in the circumstances.
Those who criticize the people's movement Swapo, and its
founding leader today was part and parcel of the system that caused
a lot of inequities in all social structures of the black
people.
Mr. ya Nangolo's opinion piece and those that are similar in
content are not welcome in Namibia, particularly at a time that the
people are nominating their next leader.
Remember, we shall forgive but never forget what happened in
Namibia prior to independence and especially those who have
sacrificed their lives for this nation.
Today we are a free people with only one aim; to restore our
dignity and claim back what was stolen and what belongs to us.
I would like to conclude by quoting his Excellency in his last
State of the Nation's address, "A united people striving to achieve
a common goal for all members of the society, will always remain
victorious".
Let these philosophical words of wisdom be the building blocks
of our future endeavors comrades.
Johannes T. Kangandjera
Via e-mail
Prophets of Doom have always been there since time memorial, but
the opinion piece in question does not only predict a bleak future
for the country but also mislead the readers with regard to the
calibre of President Sam Nujoma and that of the Swapo Party of
Namibia lest we forget why Swapo emerged.Such statements should be
rejected with the contempt it deserves by all patriotic citizens
and the international friends of Namibia.The opinion piece created
an impression that our incumbent President is power hungry, and
also misrepresents the facts relating to the so-called infighting
among the Swapo Party rank and file with regard to succession and a
lack of democracy in the structures of the party.Every movement or
organization has its power dynamics and Swapo Party should not be
singled out for criticism.The recent breakaway factions of the
Official Opposition are testimony that power dynamics exist in all
organizations.I would like to state that, people of ya Nangolo's
calibre should know better about the political dynamics in this
country and should lead the illiterate masses to the truth and not
make use of public platforms and their knowledge to mislead the
youth and future generations of tomorrow.It is unfortunate to note
that right from the beginning when he emerged as the Director of
the National Society for Human Rights, he has opposed the Swapo
Party of Namibia, its government and specifically its President and
policies.When one reads between the lines of what he said with
regard to the Swapo Party Central Committee decision to nominate
three candidates for President, not only of the Swapo Party but
also of the country after Dr.Sam Nujoma, one gets the impression
that Swapo does not have democracy and that all decisions are
dictatorially taken by President Nujoma.This is a clear
misrepresentation of what Swapo is all about and is intended to sow
seeds of doubt and mistrust in the people but also for the much
needed investors intending to invest in the country.One just
wonders who really pulls the strings of Mr. ya Nangolo? Democracy
was brought in Namibia by Swapo and its leader President Sam
Nujoma.It has been proven beyond reasonable doubt at the formation
of the Swapo Party and recently by the Swapo Party Central
Committee meeting of April 2, 2004 that the interest of the nation
is far more important than that of an individual.I hereby submit
that is has also been proven by the founding father of the nation
and first President of the independent Republic of Namibia in his
last State of the Nation's Address that he will leave office by
March 21, 2005 with confidence that the new head of state will
build on the foundation that we have built collectively.Let us give
praise to a great leader comrade! Ya Nangolo also cites the State
House project to justify his claims, forgetting that the project is
for the nation and not for an individual, and as it was earlier
said, "…the State House project should represent the
nation's pride (Not the current one that represent a fallen racist
regime of the former Apartheid South African administration) and
should be a national monument for current and future
generations".It is only those who are patriots, those who
comprehend, those who are humble that can appreciate the efforts of
the Swapo Party government to build a national monument of that
magnitude.I am confident that if I go to the graves of Mr. ya
Nangolo's parents, I will be able to find a tombstone.Why should
all citizens and a free nation not have something to relate to, to
be proud of and to identify themselves with? I would like to focus
on ya Nangolo's opinion piece in particular but not limit myself to
mention that in general people are out there to mislead the
nation.In Swapo we have learnt to tolerate this, but I am of the
opinion that they should be opposed and excluded by all peace
loving and progressive citizens, by all means possible! Mr. Ya
Nangolo, the President is not so narcissistic to fire the cadres
that he has led as you think and suggest in your opinion piece.The
President will not dissolve the Parliament to cling to power, the
President is not Robert Mugabe and for that matter Namibia is
certainly not going to take the Zimbabwe route to resolve the land
issue.A government should make decisions that are in the interest
of the nation and a government is mandated by the electorate to
make decisions on their behalf.The decision to expropriate land is
in the national interest and in line with the constitutional
provisions.As bona-fida members of the Party, we expect our leaders
to take action and implement the Swapo Party Manifesto of the last
elections.Please do not try to score cheap political points in this
regard.I would like to thank the President of the Republic of
Namibia on behalf of those who argue like me for the generous
contribution he has made to the future of the Land of the
Brave.Your dedicated service during the struggle and after
independence will never be forgotten.Your wise philosophical saying
that, "a victim never forgets, but the doer does" is true in the
circumstances.Those who criticize the people's movement Swapo, and
its founding leader today was part and parcel of the system that
caused a lot of inequities in all social structures of the black
people.Mr. ya Nangolo's opinion piece and those that are similar in
content are not welcome in Namibia, particularly at a time that the
people are nominating their next leader.Remember, we shall forgive
but never forget what happened in Namibia prior to independence and
especially those who have sacrificed their lives for this
nation.Today we are a free people with only one aim; to restore our
dignity and claim back what was stolen and what belongs to us.I
would like to conclude by quoting his Excellency in his last State
of the Nation's address, "A united people striving to achieve a
common goal for all members of the society, will always remain
victorious". Let these philosophical words of wisdom be the
building blocks of our future endeavors comrades.Johannes T.
Kangandjera
Via e-mail