A Chilly Premonition

‘A democracy is a society in which all people participate in the management of public affairs. In a democracy, all people have equal rights and voices. …

Democracy…needs to be nurtured and strengthened. Without careful attention, there is always the risk of slipping back into non-representative forms of government that serve the interests of the few, not the many. Such government cannot be legitimate… We need democracy in practice and not in name only…Together, we need to develop a more vibrant culture of democracy, based on inclusion and real political tolerance. Political tolerance means mutual accommodation, accepting and respecting the basic rights and civil liberties of persons and groups whose viewpoints differ from one’s own…’ These were the words of Dr Theo-Ben Gurirab in Botswana recently at the celebration of the International Day of Democracy.He is right on all accounts. We could find many examples of democratic activities in Namibia, but sadly the reverse is also true. I find it ironic that in the so-called democratic Namibia, very un-democratic decisions were made to move the Reiterdenkmal. Rumour has it that not even the Windhoek Municipality was informed of the decision to build a museum on that site next to the church. No building plans were presented either.If Namibia were truly democratic and politically tolerant, a referendum should have been held concerning the relocation of the statue. Everyone should have had an equal say. That would have shown basic respect for those groups that differ in their viewpoint from the ruling party.As things stand now, this episode is a chilling premonition of what Swapo can get up to.Democratic DudeGrootfonteinNote: Name and address provided – Ed