A Tribute To Amathila

I WOULD appreciate if you allow me a space in your good newspaper to give tribute to one of the Namibian heroes, Ben Amathila.

He was born on October 1 1938 at Walvis Bay in the Erongo Region, and became active in Swapo’s forerunner – the Ovamboland People’s Organisation (OPO) – in Walvis Bay in 1959. He was a mobiliser for Swapo in the 1960s.He went into exile in 1966.Amathila played a key role in organising Swapo’s consultative congress in Tanzania in 1969.He was a Swapo representative to Scandinavia, West Germany and Austria, based in Stockholm, Sweden between 1971-1976.He was chosen as Swapo Secretary for Economics in 1976, at first based in Lusaka, Zambia, and later in Luanda, Angola.He returned from exile in 1989 and was head of Swapo’s Regional Election Directorate in Swakopmund in 1989.In 1990 he was appointed the first minister of Trade and Industry after the independence.In 1993 he was appointed again to become the Minister of Information and Broadcasting until 2000.Amathila was Swapo’s Chief Whip in the National Assembly and chairperson of standing committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security from 2000 until 2005.He was a true fighter in the liberation struggle of our country, and he is true fighter for democracy.He is a founding father of our Constitution.For the past 17 years after our independence I have never seen him insulting people as puppets, imperialists, homosexuals, CIA agents or anti-government.Amathila is an honest man who retired from politics on April 17, 2007.I thank him for his visionary and dedicated leadership of the struggle for the liberation of our beloved country and wish him good health, strength and good luck in his future endeavours.Ananias Aipinge Kaseven WindhoekHe was a mobiliser for Swapo in the 1960s.He went into exile in 1966.Amathila played a key role in organising Swapo’s consultative congress in Tanzania in 1969.He was a Swapo representative to Scandinavia, West Germany and Austria, based in Stockholm, Sweden between 1971-1976.He was chosen as Swapo Secretary for Economics in 1976, at first based in Lusaka, Zambia, and later in Luanda, Angola.He returned from exile in 1989 and was head of Swapo’s Regional Election Directorate in Swakopmund in 1989.In 1990 he was appointed the first minister of Trade and Industry after the independence.In 1993 he was appointed again to become the Minister of Information and Broadcasting until 2000.Amathila was Swapo’s Chief Whip in the National Assembly and chairperson of standing committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security from 2000 until 2005.He was a true fighter in the liberation struggle of our country, and he is true fighter for democracy.He is a founding father of our Constitution.For the past 17 years after our independence I have never seen him insulting people as puppets, imperialists, homosexuals, CIA agents or anti-government.Amathila is an honest man who retired from politics on April 17, 2007.I thank him for his visionary and dedicated leadership of the struggle for the liberation of our beloved country and wish him good health, strength and good luck in his future endeavours.Ananias Aipinge Kaseven Windhoek