Nahas predicts taking 60% of votes

ONE of Swapo’s three presidential nominees, Nahas Angula, yesterday denounced personality attacks in the intra-party race, saying he preferred the campaign to be as “clean and shining as my bald head”.

Angula, the Minister of Higher Education, Training and Employment Creation, called a press conference to reflect his “belief in fairness and accountability” and to address a range of issues surrounding the presidential succession. Angula declared that, by his calculations, he would get 60 per cent of the votes at the Swapo extraordinary congress scheduled for the weekend, adding that his press conference had nothing to do with the dismissal of Foreign Affairs Minister Hidipo Hamutenya from Government.Instead, he said he wanted to be “interrogated” by the media.”This is just to say the campaign is finished.We are now going into the final stage and I hope my friends from the media will carry the message that if you want a bright future, the guy with the bright, shining bald head is the right one,” he said.Angula did not name anyone who might have conducted a dirty campaign, but referred to “misguided character assassination” such as the suggestion that he was a “joker” or “young and inexperienced” to become President.Hamutenya supporters, some members of his campaign team and have accused President Sam Nujoma of using “dirty tricks” against their candidate in order to advance Lands Minister Hifikepunye Pohamba.”So, don’t be misled by a teacher when he is joking, that is how he teaches,” Angula said.Angula described his campaign as “clean”.”I don’t attack anybody in my clean campaign.I talk about issues.What are the challenges facing Namibia today and tomorrow and I define them.”In response to a question about how he had been campaigning and what it had cost him, Angula said he had no specific budget, but that it would not have cost more than N$6 000, or a structured campaign team.Asked whether he intended to include opposition parties in his cabinet if elected, Angula said that type of decision lay with Swapo.He said he would include people at planning and strategy levels in the regions.The Education Minister dismissed accusations that the education system had failed, saying people should avoid making wild allegations and instead consider statistics.But he acknowledged that problems remained, attributing this particularly to a lack of resources.Angula said that developed countries such as the United States and Britain were “still grappling with their education” systems because of changing needs.”We still have a long way to go.That I cannot deny,” he said.On the possibility of a fourth term and that the congress might not go ahead, he said “all things being equal” the congress would still be held.”The fourth term is dead.We were told by the President.I’ll take his word,” said Angula.He also used the conference to praise Nujoma, saying it was only fair to “sing a song of praise” for Nujoma because he had raised him during the days of exile and made him minister for education.Angula declared that, by his calculations, he would get 60 per cent of the votes at the Swapo extraordinary congress scheduled for the weekend, adding that his press conference had nothing to do with the dismissal of Foreign Affairs Minister Hidipo Hamutenya from Government.Instead, he said he wanted to be “interrogated” by the media.”This is just to say the campaign is finished.We are now going into the final stage and I hope my friends from the media will carry the message that if you want a bright future, the guy with the bright, shining bald head is the right one,” he said.Angula did not name anyone who might have conducted a dirty campaign, but referred to “misguided character assassination” such as the suggestion that he was a “joker” or “young and inexperienced” to become President.Hamutenya supporters, some members of his campaign team and have accused President Sam Nujoma of using “dirty tricks” against their candidate in order to advance Lands Minister Hifikepunye Pohamba.”So, don’t be misled by a teacher when he is joking, that is how he teaches,” Angula said.Angula described his campaign as “clean”.”I don’t attack anybody in my clean campaign.I talk about issues.What are the challenges facing Namibia today and tomorrow and I define them.”In response to a question about how he had been campaigning and what it had cost him, Angula said he had no specific budget, but that it would not have cost more than N$6 000, or a structured campaign team.Asked whether he intended to include opposition parties in his cabinet if elected, Angula said that type of decision lay with Swapo.He said he would include people at planning and strategy levels in the regions.The Education Minister dismissed accusations that the education system had failed, saying people should avoid making wild allegations and instead consider statistics.But he acknowledged that problems remained, attributing this particularly to a lack of resources.Angula said that developed countries such as the United States and Britain were “still grappling with their education” systems because of changing needs.”We still have a long way to go.That I cannot deny,” he said.On the possibility of a fourth term and that the congress might not go ahead, he said “all things being equal” the congress would still be held.”The fourth term is dead.We were told by the President.I’ll take his word,” said Angula.He also used the conference to praise Nujoma, saying it was only fair to “sing a song of praise” for Nujoma because he had raised him during the days of exile and made him minister for education.