LPM blasts Nujoma and lawyer

THE Landless People’s Movement (LPM) on Tuesday blasted labour minister Utoni Nujoma and his lawyers Metcalfe Attorneys, after they wrote to LPM leader Bernadus Swartbooi last week, demanding a written apology from him.

The lawyers accused Swartbooi of insulting and belittling his former boss at the Ministry of Land Reform on several public forums over the past few years.

In its statement, the party described the language used in the letter as unprofessional, arrogant, rude, insulting, discourteous, racist, unpolished and reminiscent of letters written by racist white lawyers to “kaffirs” during the apartheid era.

However, LPM says it is unfazed by the letter saying for too long some lawyers got away with writing insulting and defamatory letters to institutions and individuals on the instance of subjective consultations with their clients.

“To our opinion in the present day, some lawyers write letters that have all the hallmarks of how apartheid security operatives were impregnated with bulldog instincts to pick their target.

“We are of the opinion that this letter is more reflective of the above era and is not in any way indicative of a lawyer’s legal skills, conduct, practice and professionalism,” the party wrote.

It added that it has deployed its parliamentary team with the “mandate to engage in brutally honest, intelligent arguments and debates while also reminding Nujoma to bear in mind that it has sworn allegiance and service to the people and it is this principle that differentiates us from the political elite.”

LPM stressed that Nujoma once accused it of instigating civil war, threatening that they will deal with LPM the way they did with the apartheid regime. The party said Nujoma should unpack these statements and explain the unwarranted attack on the movement.

LPM further stated that the letter from Nujoma’s lawyers is an attempt to deny citizens the right to be exposed to intellectual, honest debates in the seventh parliament.

“Utoni by choosing the route to litigation without blinking an eye, you entered a route less traversed by modern day politicians so we welcome you, brother. We note that your lawyer repeatedly refers to criminal actions of the fair comments our leader made in a political space in a deceptive way to attack his legal profession, hence the threat of the law society.”

In addition, the party claimed that Nujoma who had quarrels with Swartbooi in parliament recently attempted to rationalise the derogatory term “kwangara.” in parliament.

“Judging from your lawyer’s letter it would appear that citizens already perceived you as an “idiot” which both of you need to prove.”

Nujoma did not respond to questions sent to him, however, his lawyer Richard Metcalfe said LPM is living in the land of Alice In Wonderland.

“The manners of their leaders are identical to the low class white politicians who governed during the apartheid era. They bark like apartheid police and expect everybody to cower at their feigned bravado and inability to respect the rights of others.

Nobody is afraid of low class emulators of apartheid politicians who lack any inkling of parliamentary protocol.

“I really don’t give some damn what low- class apartheid politicians who lack manners and credibility say about our correspondence. If they can’t answer the correspondence, then they must suffer the consequences,” he said.

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