NYS to move to military

THE National Youth Service (NYS) is to fall under the Namibian military as a surprising Presidential decree transferring it to the Office of the President begins to take shape.

The President’s office confirmed to The Namibian that the administration of the militaristic NYS has been moved to the Ministry of Defence from the Ministry of Higher Education, Training and Employment Creation, in an effort to instil stricter “discipline”. The decision is likely to increase alarm among critics who say that the decreed transfer to State House exposed a “hidden political agenda” and is akin to Zimbabwe’s National Youth Service, a militia which President Robert Mugabe has used to attack, intimidate and suppress opposition.Technically, however, the NYS will be part of the Office of the President, which will handle its budget, said Secretary to the President, Dr Ndeutala Angolo.On August 14, State House issued a statement saying the President, using constitutional powers to create Government departments, had transferred the NYS from the Education Ministry.That move attracted criticism from the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), which describes the NYS as a “secretive paramilitary” agency.NSHR director Phil ya Nangoloh said in a statement 10 days ago that his organisation “smells a rat in the Zimbabwe-style militia” being moved to the Office of the President.NYS was launched in 1999, under the then Ministry of Youth and Sport, as an ambitious job creation scheme for thousands of school leavers who did not qualify to study further.It had taken in less than 500 recruits by last year.From the start, the NYS was run like a military organisation.Recruits begin with basic training for soldiers, which have so far taken place, once in a secretive manner, at Katutura and subsequently at the Rooikop military base in Walvis Bay, before they move to the NYS headquarters at Berg Aukas outside Grootfontein.The youths have been involved in agriculture, aquaculture and animal husbandry, although other courses involve fire-fighting, computer skills and an opportunity for further education.Nujoma said the NYS had expanded and needed to be “effectively and efficiently administered”.Ya Nangoloh said the transfer was an indication of “the hidden political agenda behind NYS finally coming to the fore.President Nujoma is likely to convert NYS into a repressive tool to be used against civil society actors and opposition parties during such elections or even beyond”.Ya Nangoloh did not provide proof to back up his claims except that Nujoma’s transfer decision resembled Mugabe’s use of a similar job-creation scheme against political opponents.The Namibian understands that Nujoma transferred the NYS as he was concerned that it was not creating work as fast as it should, especially in helping to meet Swapo’s promise of creating 50 000 jobs in five years from 1999.Higher Education Minister Nahas Angula last week dismissed suggestions that the removal of the NYS was a sign of no confidence by Nujoma in his Ministrys ability to create jobs.”You guys like to create wedges between people,” he said, sounding irritated.”We are dealing with things that are even more difficult and require more intellectual input.The National Youth Service is not difficult.”Angula said he believed the President recognised that the NYS could receive funding more easily under his office, and the recruits could be employed quicker.”I don’t have the clout” to get more funding or ask other ministries to employ the NYS recruits, said Angula.”He appoints the Minister of Home Affairs, the Minister of Defence [and is commander-in-chief]… so, he can tell the ministers [to employ the NYS recruits].I cannot command another minister.I had to beg.”Angula said President Nujoma had not told them why he had moved the NYS.The decision is likely to increase alarm among critics who say that the decreed transfer to State House exposed a “hidden political agenda” and is akin to Zimbabwe’s National Youth Service, a militia which President Robert Mugabe has used to attack, intimidate and suppress opposition.Technically, however, the NYS will be part of the Office of the President, which will handle its budget, said Secretary to the President, Dr Ndeutala Angolo.On August 14, State House issued a statement saying the President, using constitutional powers to create Government departments, had transferred the NYS from the Education Ministry.That move attracted criticism from the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), which describes the NYS as a “secretive paramilitary” agency.NSHR director Phil ya Nangoloh said in a statement 10 days ago that his organisation “smells a rat in the Zimbabwe-style militia” being moved to the Office of the President.NYS was launched in 1999, under the then Ministry of Youth and Sport, as an ambitious job creation scheme for thousands of school leavers who did not qualify to study further.It had taken in less than 500 recruits by last year.From the start, the NYS was run like a military organisation.Recruits begin with basic training for soldiers, which have so far taken place, once in a secretive manner, at Katutura and subsequently at the Rooikop military base in Walvis Bay, before they move to the NYS headquarters at Berg Aukas outside Grootfontein.The youths have been involved in agriculture, aquaculture and animal husbandry, although other courses involve fire-fighting, computer skills and an opportunity for further education.Nujoma said the NYS had expanded and needed to be “effectively and efficiently administered”.Ya Nangoloh said the transfer was an indication of “the hidden political agenda behind NYS finally coming to the fore.President Nujoma is likely to convert NYS into a repressive tool to be used against civil society actors and opposition parties during such elections or even beyond”.Ya Nangoloh did not provide proof to back up his claims except that Nujoma’s transfer decision resembled Mugabe’s use of a similar job-creation scheme against political opponents.The Namibian understands that Nujoma transferred the NYS as he was concerned that it was not creating work as fast as it should, especially in helping to meet Swapo’s promise of creating 50 000 jobs in five years from 1999.Higher Education Minister Nahas Angula last week dismissed suggestions that the removal of the NYS was a sign of no confidence by Nujoma in his Ministrys ability to create jobs.”You guys like to create wedges between people,” he said, sounding irritated.”We are dealing with things that are even more difficult and require more intellectual input.The National Youth Service is not difficult.”Angula said he believed the President recognised that the NYS could receive funding more easily under his office, and the recruits could be employed quicker.”I don’t have the clout” to get more funding or ask other ministries to employ the NYS recruits, said Angula.”He appoints the Minister of Home Affairs, the Minister of Defence [and is commander-in-chief]… so, he can tell the ministers [to employ the NYS recruits].I cannot command another minister.I had to beg.”Angula said President Nujoma had not told them why he had moved the NYS.