Nujoma in hate speech row

SWAPO President Sam Nujoma has landed slap bang in the middle of a “hate speech” row as the war of words between Namibia’s founding President and a group of former ex-combatants reaches boiling point.

The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) yesterday condemned statements Nujoma is alleged to have made during a Swapo Party meeting in Windhoek at the weekend: he is alleged to have levelled “veiled death threats” at members of the Committee on Welfare of Ex-Combatants. Attempts to clarify the statements with President Nujoma’s office yesterday failed to shed light on the issue one way or the other, with a senior assistant in his office not wanting to commit himself on the statement.’DEATH THREATS’The NSHR said Nujoma threatened the leader of the ex-combatants’ committee, Ruusa Malulu, and NBC radio reporter Lapaka Ueyulu during a public meeting on Sunday.”Those who are demanding compensation are bandits just like [Avid’s Lazarus] Kandara.They must remember that we still have guns and those of you who side with them, we will shoot you,” Nujoma is quoted by the human rights watchdog as saying in Oshiwambo.Tensions between the Swapo President and the ex-combatants’ committee have been running high in the wake of the committee’s demands for compensation for the years they served in the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (Plan), Swapo’s armed wing.Nujoma has said that nobody was promised that they would receive any sort of payment after the liberation war.He has accused those making the demands of being “subversive elements pursuing a political agenda through lies …to divide the Namibian nation”.”These failed elements are lying to confuse our people,” he is also quoted at saying at a meeting at the weekend.Approached for comment on the veracity of the hate-speech claims, NSHR Director Phil ya Nangoloh said that observers from the organisation at the meeting had taken comprehensive notes.At the same time he dared Nujoma to deny the statements attributed to him.”Let him deny that he said this.We challenge him to deny it,” Ya Nangoloh said.The former President also reportedly targeted Ya Nangoloh, accusing him of being “a homosexual”.The Senior Special Assistant to Nujoma, John Nauta, denied that Ya Nangoloh had been called a homosexual.However, when asked about the alleged death threats, he said that he had not been present at the meeting and could not comment on them.”He was never called a homosexual.He must tell us if he is,” Nauta said.In a related incident, the NSHR claimed that Swapo’s Khomas regional co-ordinator, Michael Mwinga, on Saturday warned a number of unnamed “misguided elements” that the Swapo Party “would deal with them and their days are counted (numbered)”.Mwinga could not be reached for comment yesterday.The fight between Nujoma and the group of former fighters has sparked national debate, with listeners flooding NBC radio chat shows with calls on the issue.Responding to the NSHR statement, the Legal Assistance Centre said if the statements attributed to Nujoma were true, they would be “unfortunate”.”The plight by the various interest groups feeling disenchanted, whether they are shebeen operators or ex-liberation fighters, should be handled with the passion and compassion they deserve,” LAC Director Norman Tjombe said in a statement.”Such threats of violence will only have a chilling effect on others who might have valid and legitimate concerns that they want to raise in public, but fear a backlash in the form of violence from political leaders and others.”And that has never been good for any democracy, let alone a young one such as Namibia where, since Independence, great strides have been made to establish an open democracy premised on the rule of law, despite the many years of oppression and suppression where the freedom to speak was often met with brutal violence,” Tjombe said.Attempts to clarify the statements with President Nujoma’s office yesterday failed to shed light on the issue one way or the other, with a senior assistant in his office not wanting to commit himself on the statement.’DEATH THREATS’ The NSHR said Nujoma threatened the leader of the ex-combatants’ committee, Ruusa Malulu, and NBC radio reporter Lapaka Ueyulu during a public meeting on Sunday.”Those who are demanding compensation are bandits just like [Avid’s Lazarus] Kandara.They must remember that we still have guns and those of you who side with them, we will shoot you,” Nujoma is quoted by the human rights watchdog as saying in Oshiwambo.Tensions between the Swapo President and the ex-combatants’ committee have been running high in the wake of the committee’s demands for compensation for the years they served in the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (Plan), Swapo’s armed wing.Nujoma has said that nobody was promised that they would receive any sort of payment after the liberation war.He has accused those making the demands of being “subversive elements pursuing a political agenda through lies …to divide the Namibian nation”. “These failed elements are lying to confuse our people,” he is also quoted at saying at a meeting at the weekend.Approached for comment on the veracity of the hate-speech claims, NSHR Director Phil ya Nangoloh said that observers from the organisation at the meeting had taken comprehensive notes.At the same time he dared Nujoma to deny the statements attributed to him.”Let him deny that he said this.We challenge him to deny it,” Ya Nangoloh said.The former President also reportedly targeted Ya Nangoloh, accusing him of being “a homosexual”.The Senior Special Assistant to Nujoma, John Nauta, denied that Ya Nangoloh had been called a homosexual.However, when asked about the alleged death threats, he said that he had not been present at the meeting and could not comment on them.”He was never called a homosexual.He must tell us if he is,” Nauta said.In a related incident, the NSHR claimed that Swapo’s Khomas regional co-ordinator, Michael Mwinga, on Saturday warned a number of unnamed “misguided elements” that the Swapo Party “would deal with them and their days are counted (numbered)”.Mwinga could not be reached for comment yesterday.The fight between Nujoma and the group of former fighters has sparked national debate, with listeners flooding NBC radio chat shows with calls on the issue.Responding to the NSHR statement, the Legal Assistance Centre said if the statements attributed to Nujoma were true, they would be “unfortunate”.”The plight by the various interest groups feeling disenchanted, whether they are shebeen operators or ex-liberation fighters, should be handled with the passion and compassion they deserve,” LAC Director Norman Tjombe said in a statement.”Such threats of violence will only have a chilling effect on others who might have valid and legitimate concerns that they want to raise in public, but fear a backlash in the form of violence from political leaders and others.”And that has never been good for any democracy, let alone a young one such as Namibia where, since Independence, great strides have been made to establish an open democracy premised on the rule of law, despite the many years of oppression and suppression where the freedom to speak was often met with brutal violence,” Tjombe said.