Namibian politics thesis earns Hage a doctorate

FORMER Prime Minister Hage Geingob is to get a doctorate degree based on a thesis that Namibia still has some way to go in strengthening democracy, although it has been a shining example for transition and state formation.

The University of Leeds is to award the Doctor of Philosophy degree to Geingob, aged 63, in December after seven years of studies and research. Geingob, who is expected to return to active Namibian politics next year, confirmed last week that his dissertation “State Formation in Namibia: Promoting Democracy and Good Governance” was accepted by the University of Leeds in Britain.His thesis spans a large spectrum of Namibia’s past, diagnosis and prognosis for the country.Geingob said he seemed to have underestimated the load of the work for the degree but he was driven to go through with it, “because I have a story to tell” in an academic way where it would be subjected to scrutiny and “not just to tell my propaganda”.He said he was also able to convince the examiners that he was offering the world of research something new and different.”Namibia played a crucial role in the transition to democracy and nobody is talking about Namibia,” he said.The dissertation deals with colonialism in Namibia and the involvement of several parties, such as the United Nations, Organisation of African Unity and Frontline States in the move towards independence.The former Prime Minister argues that the involvement of five western countries, also known as the Western Contact Group (USA, UK, France, Germany and Canada), was based on the “geopolitical imperatives of the Cold War” and economic “self-interests”.After realising they were losing Africa in proxy wars that the West fought with the Communist Bloc, the Western Five “came in to safeguard the interests of the whites and protect their property,” Geingob says.His thesis then turns to the transition to democracy, the adoption of the Namibian constitution, and “how Namibians sought to build a reconciled society out of ethnically and racially diverse and often antagonistic groups”.Geingob then conducted what he terms a “democratic audit”, looking at tolerance and “whether there are threats” to Namibia’s democracy.He used “Swedish normative tools”.”You can have electoral democracy, but that’s a means to an end,” said Geingob last week.”Namibia must now build processes and systems.”The former premier pointed to the last US elections between George W.Bush and Al Gore, saying that “was a fiasco” even by so-called Third World standards, but what saved them from descending into chaos is that “they had processes, systems and institutions”.For instance, the most aggrieved parties agreed to abide by the split decision of the US Supreme Court, packed with conservative Republican Party-leaning judges.”That is where we are looking at to cement our democratic culture.We have a long way to go in that respect,” said Geingob.The dissertation is embargoed for a year, Geingob said.But he will be using it to publish a book that should help tell Namibia’s pre and post-independence story in a “scholarly” way.Geingob, who is expected to return to active Namibian politics next year, confirmed last week that his dissertation “State Formation in Namibia: Promoting Democracy and Good Governance” was accepted by the University of Leeds in Britain.His thesis spans a large spectrum of Namibia’s past, diagnosis and prognosis for the country.Geingob said he seemed to have underestimated the load of the work for the degree but he was driven to go through with it, “because I have a story to tell” in an academic way where it would be subjected to scrutiny and “not just to tell my propaganda”.He said he was also able to convince the examiners that he was offering the world of research something new and different.”Namibia played a crucial role in the transition to democracy and nobody is talking about Namibia,” he said.The dissertation deals with colonialism in Namibia and the involvement of several parties, such as the United Nations, Organisation of African Unity and Frontline States in the move towards independence.The former Prime Minister argues that the involvement of five western countries, also known as the Western Contact Group (USA, UK, France, Germany and Canada), was based on the “geopolitical imperatives of the Cold War” and economic “self-interests”.After realising they were losing Africa in proxy wars that the West fought with the Communist Bloc, the Western Five “came in to safeguard the interests of the whites and protect their property,” Geingob says.His thesis then turns to the transition to democracy, the adoption of the Namibian constitution, and “how Namibians sought to build a reconciled society out of ethnically and racially diverse and often antagonistic groups”.Geingob then conducted what he terms a “democratic audit”, looking at tolerance and “whether there are threats” to Namibia’s democracy.He used “Swedish normative tools”.”You can have electoral democracy, but that’s a means to an end,” said Geingob last week.”Namibia must now build processes and systems.”The former premier pointed to the last US elections between George W.Bush and Al Gore, saying that “was a fiasco” even by so-called Third World standards, but what saved them from descending into chaos is that “they had processes, systems and institutions”.For instance, the most aggrieved parties agreed to abide by the split decision of the US Supreme Court, packed with conservative Republican Party-leaning judges.”That is where we are looking at to cement our democratic culture.We have a long way to go in that respect,” said Geingob.The dissertation is embargoed for a year, Geingob said.But he will be using it to publish a book that should help tell Namibia’s pre and post-independence story in a “scholarly” way.