No To ‘Banana Backbones’

I HAVE taken note of news that two political regions, including my home (Karas), have came out in the open, articulating support for Sam Nujoma to be re-elected as Swapo President.

Coupled with these two regions is the statement of Ben Amathila that only Sam Nujoma can save Swapo and Namibia. The question is: of what calibre and fibre are the rest of the national leaders? Do they have banana backbones or what? The fact that after so many years of leadership that Nujoma has provided, there is no one else capable of keeping the party together through the storm we are going through at the moment? When you consider the national leaders, and all of the years they have spent to be educated and exposed in the first-world countries, all of them put together, you want to tell me that there is no one to keep Swapo Party together other than the Father of the Nation? This is indeed an insult to our national leaders, including Ben Amathila himself who admits that all of them are useless without Sam Nujoma.Lest I am misunderstood, note that I fully appreciate Nujoma for what he has done and continues to do in our national politics.But the angle from which these statements are made speaks very loudly about our national leaders, collectively.Namibian history will one day bear testimony to the labours and sacrifices of Nujoma, but to say that he is the only one with the means to keep the Swapo Party together is an insult to both Nujoma and the national leaders.In conclusion, with all due respect to Sam Nujoma, I would want him to know that he has done enough for the Swapo Party and Namibia.It is time now for him to retire and enjoy the grace years the Creator has blessed him with.But your parting gift to Namibia and its people will be to reunite the national liberation leaders at the upcoming Swapo Party Congress in order to ensure that your legacy is safeguarded.We must learn the African lesson that exclusion in power politics has destabilised many young democracies and we are the last independent colony still standing! Hannes Karools KeetmanshoopThe question is: of what calibre and fibre are the rest of the national leaders? Do they have banana backbones or what? The fact that after so many years of leadership that Nujoma has provided, there is no one else capable of keeping the party together through the storm we are going through at the moment? When you consider the national leaders, and all of the years they have spent to be educated and exposed in the first-world countries, all of them put together, you want to tell me that there is no one to keep Swapo Party together other than the Father of the Nation? This is indeed an insult to our national leaders, including Ben Amathila himself who admits that all of them are useless without Sam Nujoma.Lest I am misunderstood, note that I fully appreciate Nujoma for what he has done and continues to do in our national politics.But the angle from which these statements are made speaks very loudly about our national leaders, collectively.Namibian history will one day bear testimony to the labours and sacrifices of Nujoma, but to say that he is the only one with the means to keep the Swapo Party together is an insult to both Nujoma and the national leaders.In conclusion, with all due respect to Sam Nujoma, I would want him to know that he has done enough for the Swapo Party and Namibia.It is time now for him to retire and enjoy the grace years the Creator has blessed him with.But your parting gift to Namibia and its people will be to reunite the national liberation leaders at the upcoming Swapo Party Congress in order to ensure that your legacy is safeguarded.We must learn the African lesson that exclusion in power politics has destabilised many young democracies and we are the last independent colony still standing! Hannes Karools Keetmanshoop