CoD leaders vie for top post

THE knives are reported to be out for the president of the main opposition party, the Congress of Democrats, this weekend when the party holds an extraordinary congress at Keetmanshoop.

The party’s performance will come under scrutiny, while there will be elections for the seven top positions in the party structure. Growing dissatisfaction with the leadership style of its President, Ben Ulenga, who started the party in March 1999, and a need to reposition the CoD ahead of national elections due in 2009 are said to have necessitated the extraordinary congress.”We want to remove Ulenga,” a CoD member, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Namibian yesterday.”There is no democracy in the higher party echelons any more, Ulenga does not consult and takes decisions all by himself,” the member claimed.There appears to be two strong factions in the opposition party, centring around Ulenga and his Vice President Nora-Schimming Chase.Party President Ben Ulenga said yesterday that there were different opinions within the party about how the work in the CoD should be done.”There have been calls for a change of leadership, but I will definitely stand for re-election,” Ulenga told The Namibian.”I am aware that Ignatius Shixwameni and Nora Schimming-Chase may also stand.””They fight a lot and that is not good for CoD,” claimed a senior party member, who did not want his name mentioned.In his view, “the best would be if former national executive committee member Ignatius Shixwameni would become the new CoD President, which would be a good compromise.Schimming-Chase could remain as Vice President.”Schimming-Chase could not be reached for comment as she was on an official trip as a Member of Parliament and only returns today.About 360 delegates from 13 regions will attend the two-day congress, which ends on Saturday.CoD Secretary General Kala Gertze was tight-lipped yesterday and would only say that the usual five-year period to hold a congress was too far away.”It is good and necessary to take a critical look at ourselves and the perfect time for this is right now, two and a half years after the last elections,” he told The Namibian.Growing dissatisfaction with the leadership style of its President, Ben Ulenga, who started the party in March 1999, and a need to reposition the CoD ahead of national elections due in 2009 are said to have necessitated the extraordinary congress.”We want to remove Ulenga,” a CoD member, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Namibian yesterday.”There is no democracy in the higher party echelons any more, Ulenga does not consult and takes decisions all by himself,” the member claimed. There appears to be two strong factions in the opposition party, centring around Ulenga and his Vice President Nora-Schimming Chase.Party President Ben Ulenga said yesterday that there were different opinions within the party about how the work in the CoD should be done.”There have been calls for a change of leadership, but I will definitely stand for re-election,” Ulenga told The Namibian.”I am aware that Ignatius Shixwameni and Nora Schimming-Chase may also stand.””They fight a lot and that is not good for CoD,” claimed a senior party member, who did not want his name mentioned.In his view, “the best would be if former national executive committee member Ignatius Shixwameni would become the new CoD President, which would be a good compromise.Schimming-Chase could remain as Vice President.”Schimming-Chase could not be reached for comment as she was on an official trip as a Member of Parliament and only returns today.About 360 delegates from 13 regions will attend the two-day congress, which ends on Saturday.CoD Secretary General Kala Gertze was tight-lipped yesterday and would only say that the usual five-year period to hold a congress was too far away.”It is good and necessary to take a critical look at ourselves and the perfect time for this is right now, two and a half years after the last elections,” he told The Namibian.