PRESIDENT Hage Geingob fought back tears on Saturday when his predecessor Hifikepunye Pohamba handed him the symbols of power – the national seal, a copy of the Constitution and the national flag.
Receiving the symbols in front of thousands of people including sitting and past foreign heads of state, diplomats and other dignitaries at the Independence Stadium in Windhoek, Geingob repeatedly whispered: “I am not crying.”
Chief Justice Peter Shivute handed the symbols of office to Geingob after he had sworn in the former Prime Minister as Namibia’s third President.
The Chief Justice was the custodian of the symbols of power for a couple of minutes, after outgoing President Hifikepunye Pohamaba marked the end of his tenure by officially surrendering them to the head of the country’s judiciary.
Other members of the Presidency and top leaders of government – Vice-President Nickey Iyambo, Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, and her deputy, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah – took their oaths of office soon after Geingob had done so. In his inauguration speech, Geingob repeated the mantra he has come to be known for – that “no Namibian should feel left out” and that the government’s priority would be to declare war on poverty and inequality. To achieve this, he said, would require looking at a range of policies and interventionist strategies.
He said although the prerequisites for a prosperous nation include a good Constitution and peace and democracy, people do not eat peace or democracy.
“People eat decent food, live under decent shelter and enjoy decent employment,” he said, adding that his government would work on improving the rate of implementation and, in turn,
catapult the economy into a new period of faster growth, improved job creation and improved service delivery.
“Our vision is clear. We plan to expand and spread the opportunities for growth and prosperity to be enjoyed by all Namibians in all parts of the country, with a specific focus on the disadvantaged sections of our population,” he said.
He asked society, especially the youth, for support to build Namibia, which is struggling with chronic unemployment, with the Namibia Statistics Agency having reported an unemployment rate of 49% among Namibians between the ages of 20 and 24.
“All of us must play our part in the success of this beautiful house we call Namibia. We need to renew it from time to time by undergoing renovations and extensions. Let us stand together in building this new Namibian house in which no Namibian will feel left out. Forward ever, backward never,” Geingob said.
Geingob said the landslide victory given to him by the electorate in last year’s national elections – in which he won 86,7% of the votes cast in the presidential election – was an indication of high expectations.
“After 25 years, they want food, clothing and shelter. They want jobs, better housing and good nutrition. They want a leader who will bring prosperity to the nation and they want that leader to act quickly,” he said. He admitted that “it will be a daunting task to meet these expectations and our challenges will therefore be great, but I have full confidence that working together as one people, we will rise up to those expectations”.
The 73-year-old Geingob’s swearing-in also marked one of the historic comebacks in Namibian politics: From being the first Prime Minister in 1990, to going into the political wilderness in self-imposed exile in 2002, after he had been demoted from the premier position, to returning to the National Assembly, the Cabinet, the Office of Prime Minister, and finally being elected and sworn in as President.
Thousands of citizens braved wet weather and thronged into a packed Independence Stadium to have a glimpse of the historic handover of power from Namibia’s second head of state to its third. The event coincided with the country’s celebration of the 25th anniversary of its independence. Celebrations went on long into the afternoon despite some rain showers over the capital. There was a sense of patriotism among those who witnessed the multi-cultural performances and moving tributes to the country’s independence and new leadership, bringing a sense of déjà vu of events that transpired 25 years ago.
Geingob did not shy away from publicly saying that he could not wait to assume the role of President and take charge. “I have been counting down the hours. The long wait is now over,” he told the now former President Pohamba on Friday night at a farewell dinner.
He jokingly told Pohamba to go to his farm and look after his cattle.
