Fiction Makes a Better Job?

THE NAMIBIAN columnist Alexactus Kaure’s article titled “In defence of Swartbooi” dated 6 January 2017, was packed with press hyperboles bordering on inaccuracy. A threat to independent thinking!

As Doris Lessing once said: “Fiction makes a better job than the truth.”

If Namibians can recall, Bernadus ‘Clinton’ Swartbooi ended up losing his job not because of what he said, but using a wrong platform to air his “frustration” of perceived “irregularities” in the ministry where he was deputy minister, and of “personal attacks” of his superior, Utoni Nujoma.

With the responsibility that comes with the job, people elected or appointed to hold public office must be diplomatic in their dealings – show that they have what it takes to lead. For any public official to throw “tantrums” in public is an embarrassment by itself which discredits or undermines his/her position, the ministry he represents, and the appointing authourity.

Above all, any public official who taunts his co-worker into a public spat doesn’t deserve any sympathy, but should be disciplined or brought to order. Such standards aren’t only for ministers, but for all employees working with other people.

Equally, calls for Namas, Ovaherero, and Damaras to stand up and claim their land would raise an eyebrow for any government; it’s so divisive. Let’s speak plainly – such rallying calls should be called for what they represent – tribalistic. Or are they nationalistic?

Namibians must give credit where credit is due. President Hage Geingob was very patient with Swartbooi by allowing him ample time to think over the matter and do what should have been in the interest of all parties – offer an apology for using a wrong platform to air the ministry’s dirty laundry.

For the wise, “apologising does not mean you’re wrong and the other person is right. It means you value the relationship more than your ego”. Swartbooi should have known better! After all, Geingob picked him out of so many. He saw potential in him. The truth being, Swartbooi should have apologised. Instead, which is unfortunate, he “hanged” himself.

Now, for anyone to bring in Uganda’s former psychotic president, Idi Amin, in this, is being disingenuous. To recap, Idi Amin had said: “You have freedom of speech, but freedom after speech, I cannot guarantee that.”

That’s completely incomparable with what Geingob was dealing with – playing the peacemaker. It’s obvious Geingob won’t tolerate indiscipline that boils down to insubordination.

If anything, asking a government official to offer a public apology wasn’t a first in the Geingob administration. We saw a governor and minister complying with the request. The intent behind the exercise is to harmonise the situation, and not to humiliate the individual involved. That is what an administrator does – enforcing some sense of discipline in a workplace.

Surprisingly, to entertain the notion of a “see nothing, hear nothing and say nothing” analogy with the Geingob presidency is very misleading. Namibians know that the Geingob administration is in a process of enacting the whistle-blowers’ protection law – tied with the Harambee vision of a transparent and accountable government. Is that gagging? No!

For the explosive land fiasco, Namibia’s political leadership and all other stakeholders should have dealt with the issue long ago. Agreeably, it doesn’t make sense to have landless Namibians after a quarter of a century of independence. Namibians fought to retain control of their land – not to auction the country, as seen with the exploration licences (EPLs) and land leasing agreements.

On all accounts, Swartbooi was almost playing from the apartheid-era “AG 8” hymn book. If there is truly a mess within the Ministry of Land Reform, it was the ex-deputy minister ‘s job to find solutions to Namibia’s quagmire rather than trying to blame and castigate his superior negatively in the eyes of a community.

Namibians cannot afford to jump on each other’s throats in building the “Namibian House”, which, after having been plastered, one wouldn’t tell which brick is which. For the sake of our country, Namibians must jealously guard their freedoms and together must enjoy the fruits of an independent Namibia.

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