PM’s Adviser Must Come Clean

A COMMENT or two about one of the minor characters in the on-going Avid/SSC soapie that might warrant some space in your esteemed paper.

This character is Mathew Gowaseb – the Special Adviser to the Prime Minister, turned messenger for Lazarus Kandara. First, I register my total agreement with a previous letter writer’s observations (Alan Hattle in his ‘Concerned about PM’s Special Adviser’, New Era, 16/08/2005).I think we need a linguist, not a lawyer, to disentangle Mr Gowaseb’s double-speak.Here is a senior civil servant clearly seeing evidence of greed, corruption, theft and dereliction of duty, but he doesn’t sound the alarm bell.And yet he has the audacity to tell the Judge and Court that they should not concentrate on who got what and when but on corporate governance instead.Why is he not interested in who got what, when and where? Is he a beneficiary or was he also promised some sort of “a delivery” in return, should he have clinched the requested two-week extension from Mr Frans Kapofi? Secondly, how can a purported adviser to the PM go to Kapofi (the highest civil servant in the country’s civil service) and request an extension for the N$30 million of public funds without having a clue about the dealings of the company or its directors? And what was the hurry all about? He got a call from Kandara, who is not his friend, and then he makes sure that the same night he sees Kapofi on Avid.But here ends the innocence and ignorance.He now takes off his advisor’s hat and puts on a business suit as he promises Kapofi “a delivery”.What was the delivery to be? No one knows – except Gowaseb himself.Maybe an expensive pencil, a leather briefcase or a bottle of cognac? But we all give someone something in return for a favour done, as a token of appreciation, so maybe there’s nothing wrong with that! Although even if Kapofi agreed to the extension, still it was not a favour for Gowaseb but for Kandara and his co-directors.But then comes the bullet issue which knocks down everybody, including Kapofi and myself.Mr.Gowaseb is said to have asked Kapofi: “Do you trust me?” and “Can you take a bullet for me?” Luckily Kapofi was smelling rat at this stage and is said to have told Gowaseb that: “These people are trying to use an honourable person like you in trying to get away with their lies.”Now Gowaseb is said to have denied the “bullet”, “trust in me” and “a delivery” talk.He thus denies any suggestion of a bribe, kickback or commission.So, who is telling the truth between Kapofi and Gowaseb? My own gut feeling is that Gowaseb is being economical with the truth and unnecessarily evasive.I suggest that the Office of the PM gets down to the bottom of the matter and if it is established that Gowaseb was trying to bribe and thus corrupt the Secretary to Cabinet, he should be given the boot.Solo Isaack Cape Town, SAFirst, I register my total agreement with a previous letter writer’s observations (Alan Hattle in his ‘Concerned about PM’s Special Adviser’, New Era, 16/08/2005).I think we need a linguist, not a lawyer, to disentangle Mr Gowaseb’s double-speak.Here is a senior civil servant clearly seeing evidence of greed, corruption, theft and dereliction of duty, but he doesn’t sound the alarm bell.And yet he has the audacity to tell the Judge and Court that they should not concentrate on who got what and when but on corporate governance instead.Why is he not interested in who got what, when and where? Is he a beneficiary or was he also promised some sort of “a delivery” in return, should he have clinched the requested two-week extension from Mr Frans Kapofi? Secondly, how can a purported adviser to the PM go to Kapofi (the highest civil servant in the country’s civil service) and request an extension for the N$30 million of public funds without having a clue about the dealings of the company or its directors? And what was the hurry all about? He got a call from Kandara, who is not his friend, and then he makes sure that the same night he sees Kapofi on Avid.But here ends the innocence and ignorance.He now takes off his advisor’s hat and puts on a business suit as he promises Kapofi “a delivery”.What was the delivery to be? No one knows – except Gowaseb himself.Maybe an expensive pencil, a leather briefcase or a bottle of cognac? But we all give someone something in return for a favour done, as a token of appreciation, so maybe there’s nothing wrong with that! Although even if Kapofi agreed to the extension, still it was not a favour for Gowaseb but for Kandara and his co-directors.But then comes the bullet issue which knocks down everybody, including Kapofi and myself.Mr.Gowaseb is said to have asked Kapofi: “Do you trust me?” and “Can you take a bullet for me?” Luckily Kapofi was smelling rat at this stage and is said to have told Gowaseb that: “These people are trying to use an honourable person like you in trying to get away with their lies.”Now Gowaseb is said to have denied the “bullet”, “trust in me” and “a delivery” talk.He thus denies any suggestion of a bribe, kickback or commission.So, who is telling the truth between Kapofi and Gowaseb? My own gut feeling is that Gowaseb is being economical with the truth and unnecessarily evasive.I suggest that the Office of the PM gets down to the bottom of the matter and if it is established that Gowaseb was trying to bribe and thus corrupt the Secretary to Cabinet, he should be given the boot. Solo Isaack Cape Town, SA