Nujoma, Pohamba, HH play the blame game

THE Swapo leadership is continuing with a series of attacks against a new political party led by former Foreign Affairs Minister Hidipo Hamutenya.

Hamutenya, the interim president of the new Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), on Friday reacted to attacks made by outgoing Swapo President Sam Nujoma a week ago at the Swapo central committee meeting, where he declared RDP founders like Hamutenya and former Trade and Industry Minister Jesaya Nyamu “enemies of the country” and “economic saboteurs”. Nujoma accused them of failing to make State-owned enterprises like NDC, ODC, Amcom and others successful.Nujoma did not mention names but it was clear who he meant, as both Hamutenya and Nyamu had the trade and industry portfolio for several years.According to Hamutenya, “Nujoma was Head of State and Government from 1990 to 2005 and as such overall supervisor of all Government institutions, including State-owned enterprises.”If Nujoma supervised and, indeed, kept promoting ‘enemies of the Namibian state, political failures and economic saboteurs’, then he himself had committed treason for which he should be tried,” Hamutenya mused.Both he and Nyamu were given the trade portfolio by Nujoma, under Nujoma’s rule, Hamutenya told reporters in Windhoek on Friday.”Certainly, if one supervises (Cabinet) Ministers for a long period of 15 years and fails to detect that the persons he is presiding over are (alleged) enemies of the nation and saboteurs of the country’s economy, then that someone is an utter political failure.”Hamutenya added that the former Ministry of Higher Education and Employment Creation was responsible for running the Development Brigade Corporation (DBC), Namibia Bricks Enterprise and Patriotic Construction Company (PCC).The PCC had to finance Nujoma’s hunting trips with thousands of dollars, Hamutenya noted.Amalgamated Commercial Holdings (Amcom) and other such ventures were created before his appointment as Trade and Industry Minister, he added.”But Nujoma and Attorney General Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana then created a ‘kangaroo court’ (presidential commission of inquiry) on some of the enterprises organised to frame me and parade me as only Cabinet Minister so far, but that failed to come up with any evidence of wrongdoing,” Hamutenya said.Regarding the private venture Pidico, which went bankrupt, all negotiations to establish it in Namibia were done at State House, where all meetings on Pidico were chaired by Nujoma, Hamutenya said.He called on Swapo and its supporters to engage the RDP in a civil manner and “distinguish between enemies and political adversaries”.Ata farewell rally on Saturday, former Swapo President Nujoma accused some Swapo members of wavering and abandoning the party and claimed they had become “misguided”.”They are now busy misleading our fellow citizens.We are now beginning to realise these individuals started to undermine the Swapo Government long ago, because they were in positions of power and authority to bring about meaningful development, they have never done that.Who can you convince that all of a sudden, you have a vision and can bring employment to thousands of unemployed Namibians when you are in an opposition party? These individuals must not underestimate the intelligence of our people,” Nujoma said.No other party was as democratic as Swapo – after all Swapo had brought democracy to the country, Nujoma said.Newly elected Swapo President Hifikepunye Pohamba on Saturday also took a swipe at those who had resigned from Swapo in the past few weeks.”We must guard against those who are trying to negate the positive gains we made since 1990 and must not allow the machinations of our detractors to derail our efforts,” Pohamba said.”Our detractors are spreading unfound and misleading allegations that Government has embarked on a witch hunt, targeting those public servants who are donning new political colours.It has never been Swapo Government policy to persecute individuals as a result of their political affiliation or beliefs,” Pohamba said.”The Swapo Government fully subscribes to the constitutional principles that guarantee basic freedoms to all citizens.We must therefore dismiss these unfound allegations with all the contempt they deserve.”Over the past month, Hamutenya resigned publicly from Swapo, so did former deputy Prisons Minster Michaela Huebschle, Ambassador Shapua Kaugungua, prominent former union leader Peter Naholo, well-known businesspeople Leake Hangala and Martin Heita and Kavango Regional Councillor Herbert Shixwameni.Nujoma accused them of failing to make State-owned enterprises like NDC, ODC, Amcom and others successful.Nujoma did not mention names but it was clear who he meant, as both Hamutenya and Nyamu had the trade and industry portfolio for several years.According to Hamutenya, “Nujoma was Head of State and Government from 1990 to 2005 and as such overall supervisor of all Government institutions, including State-owned enterprises.”If Nujoma supervised and, indeed, kept promoting ‘enemies of the Namibian state, political failures and economic saboteurs’, then he himself had committed treason for which he should be tried,” Hamutenya mused.Both he and Nyamu were given the trade portfolio by Nujoma, under Nujoma’s rule, Hamutenya told reporters in Windhoek on Friday.”Certainly, if one supervises (Cabinet) Ministers for a long period of 15 years and fails to detect that the persons he is presiding over are (alleged) enemies of the nation and saboteurs of the country’s economy, then that someone is an utter political failure.”Hamutenya added that the former Ministry of Higher Education and Employment Creation was responsible for running the Development Brigade Corporation (DBC), Namibia Bricks Enterprise and Patriotic Construction Company (PCC).The PCC had to finance Nujoma’s hunting trips with thousands of dollars, Hamutenya noted.Amalgamated Commercial Holdings (Amcom) and other such ventures were created before his appointment as Trade and Industry Minister, he added.”But Nujoma and Attorney General Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana then created a ‘kangaroo court’ (presidential commission of inquiry) on some of the enterprises organised to frame me and parade me as only Cabinet Minister so far, but that failed to come up with any evidence of wrongdoing,” Hamutenya said.Regarding the private venture Pidico, which went bankrupt, all negotiations to establish it in Namibia were done at State House, where all meetings on Pidico were chaired by Nujoma, Hamutenya said.He called on Swapo and its supporters to engage the RDP in a civil manner and “distinguish between enemies and political adversaries”.Ata farewell rally on Saturday, former Swapo President Nujoma accused some Swapo members of wavering and abandoning the party and claimed they had become “misguided”.”They are now busy misleading our fellow citizens.We are now beginning to realise these individuals started to undermine the Swapo Government long ago, because they were in positions of power and authority to bring about meaningful development, they have never done that.Who can you convince that all of a sudden, you have a vision and can bring employment to thousands of unemployed Namibians when you are in an opposition party? These individuals must not underestimate the intelligence of our people,” Nujoma said.No other party was as democratic as Swapo – after all Swapo had brought democracy to the country, Nujoma said.Newly elected Swapo President Hifikepunye Pohamba on Saturday also took a swipe at those who had resigned from Swapo in the past few weeks.”We must guard against those who are trying to negate the positive gains we made since 1990 and must not allow the machinations of our detractors to derail our efforts,” Pohamba said.”Our detractors are spreading unfound and misleading allegations that Government has embarked on a witch hunt, targeting those public servants who are donning new political colours.It has never been Swapo Government policy to persecute individuals as a result of their political affiliation or beliefs,” Pohamba said.”The Swapo Government fully subscribes to the constitutional principles that guarantee basic freedoms to all citizens.We must therefore dismiss these unfound allegations with all the contempt they deserve.”Over the past month, Hamutenya resigned publicly from Swapo, so did former deputy Prisons Minster Michaela Huebschle, Ambassador Shapua Kaugungua, prominent former union leader Peter Naholo, well-known businesspeople Leake Hangala and Martin Heita and Kavango Regional Councillor Herbert Shixwameni.