Govt concerned over Itula gatherings

INFORMATION minister Stanley Simataa says the government was getting concerned over multiple gatherings organised by Panduleni Itula who contested this year’s presidential elections as an independent candidate.

Simataa said the government has noted with concern that people who attend these gatherings were overstretching their fundamental rights and freedoms such as that of expression, to assemble and the freedom of movement, which he says was a threat to the peace and stability in the country.

Simataa made these remarks at a media event held in Windhoek on Monday.

The minister said one such event was the meeting held at Embandu sports stadium at Oshakati last week, at which several political parties participated, and it was held in a disorderly manner.

“The right to assemble and the right to engage is provided for in our Constitution. But we are getting concerned with the developments that we have seen, particularly with the events that took place over the past weekend up-north. This right to assemble should be done properly as the law provides,” he said.

The minister did not say how these people actually infringed on other people’s rights.

He rather said if such events are not carefully handled “we run the risk of experiencing spillages that will end up compromising the existing peaceful environment in the country”.

He added that there was no need to hold these events especially due to the fact that the elections in which Itula participated were concluded and winners and losers were announced.

In addition, Simataa said those aggrieved by the outcome of the elections were free to approach the courts to “seek recourse in an orderly manner”.

“This disorderliness is likely to spark and once that spark develops into fire – and when the country is on fire, the fire does not discriminate, it will devour all of you along the way,” he said.

“We don’t need any element of any disorderliness in this process without compromising the existing peace and stability. The freedom of expression is being stretched sometimes to the absolute maximum and the elasticity of the stretch may reach its end and if we reach that point, it can be disastrous,” Simataa added.

The government was also concerned about several young people who were overstretching their rights to freedom of speech to a point that they were referring to president Hage Geingob as the ‘EVM president’, according to the minister.

“People are referring to the president as the EVM president. O, vakwetu, do we want to stoop so low as Namibians.

“The president has been on record saying that whether it was the EVMs or the ballot papers, we were ready. We don’t need to be using degrading language such as EVM president. Is there a president who governs EVMs? No, there is nothing like that?” Simataa said.

The minister therefore said those who are found to violate the law in terms of these gatherings will face the consequences and “when you face the consequences, you should not complain”.

“Peace is important and the security of a nation-state called Namibia is very important and we should never gamble with that, nor allow individuals to gamble with the security of this nation,” Simataa said.

The minister told the meeting that the government was equally concerned over the use of the national flag by some people especially [Itula’s supporters] at political gatherings.

Simataa said the national flag was a national symbol which all Namibians should be proud of regardless of their political parties and cultural backgrounds.

He said using the flag at political events would contaminate the “unifying role of this sacred national symbol”.

“The national flag is a sacred symbol that each and every Namibian should be able to identify with. This is why political parties have their own flags and symbol that are different from national symbols. It has been the practice from independence,” he said.

Simataa said the national flag should only be used at national events such as receiving a national hero like Miss Namibia at the airport, or national sports events or during the commemoration of national days.

Itula yesterday told The Namibian that he was not responsible for the use of the national flag by his supporters.

“I do not possess statutory powers to instruct or prohibit any citizen or retailer to wear and/or market national symbols or any such depicting any such symbols. If the selling of national symbols to the public are to be restricted or prohibited, the patriotism reflected must be stifled by appropriate proclamation and gazetted as such,” Itula said.

Itula also added that he has not in any way threatened the peace and stability in the country through his gatherings as alleged by the minister.

“My aim is to unite our people irrespective of their political persuasion into a coherent people and protect our country against looters of our natural resources and those that sell our country for prostitution and a handful of dollars while we have unemployed youth graduates and 995 000 people living in shacks,” he said.

Itula added that “Freedom to talk to striking fishermen and thanking people for their patriotism and uniting people from different political parties could certainly not constitute a threat to peace and stability of our nation,” he said.

He said the practice shows that those doing so identify themselves as Namibians first before they identify with any political party, an act he said must be encouraged.

Kamwanyah added that the government should therefore not limit people from wearing the national flag as it symbolises patriotism.

“It is a good thing to see people from different political parties gathering under one roof. It creates room for tolerance, where parties do not see themselves as opponents but people with a common interest of addressing issues affecting the country,” he said.

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