Political Perspective

THERE’S an African proverb that says: ‘When two elephants fight, the grass gets trampled’ and this may prove more than apt if our former and incumbent Presidents go head to head, as appears to be imminent.

There seems to be little doubt that antagonism between the two led the former President to be absent from Independence Day celebrations in Windhoek this week. NOT that one wants to fuel dissension between the two, except to say that it’s an open secret that all has not been well between Nujoma and the man he initially handpicked to be his successor to the Presidency, Hifikepunye Pohamba, for some time now and these tensions may well be exacerbated if our Head of State decides to make some changes to his Cabinet.He is fully entitled to do so, of course, as President Nujoma did before him, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the envisaged moves will meet with the approval of the former President.And ‘so what?’ one might ask.If President Pohamba decides to make changes to his executive team, then he is fully entitled to do so, with or without consultation, as he sees fit.At present, of course, there is no certainty on this score, and only time will tell if he intends to make the said changes which, if they come, would be sooner rather than later.Independence Day this year marked President Pohamba’s first year in office, and it is a time where people are wondering whether he will now make his own choices.There was little doubt that the first Cabinet chosen by him was a compromise; what was referred to as ‘continuity in change’, and now may be the time he feels to be appropriate to assert himself.Perhaps some guidance as to his future actions may be found in his Independence Day statement when he said he was “privileged to be the Captain of this ship”, and he called on people to work together as a team even though there would be “times when the seas are stormy and the mission appears difficult”.He has, in recent interviews with this newspaper, among others, stated “reshuffle, what reshuffle?” when asked whether he intends to alter his Cabinet, but consistent rumours do indicate he may have some reform in mind.Certain Ministers are demonstrably jittery and there is considerable behind-the-scenes speculation about what the President has in mind.The current tension between the former and incumbent heads of state is nothing new, but may well be coming to a head.We don’t need to re-visit the historic reasons as to how this came about in the aftermath of President Pohamba’s ascendancy to power, but suffice it to say that he would prefer to be his own man and not be at the beck and call of the Swapo Party President (Nujoma’s refusal to step down as Party President being another clear reason for the dissension between the two of them, of course).So far, Pohamba has actively sought compromise rather than confrontation, but if he goes the route of a ‘reshuffle’ this is bound to bring things to a head between them.This appeared manifest in former President Nujoma’s decision to travel to Mariental for Independence Day, rather than attend the Windhoek-based celebrations as he was originally scheduled to do.And of course, if and when modification comes, there are likely to be both good and bad consequences.People generally are resistant to change, tending to prefer the status quo, however much it may be in need of reform, to the unknown, particularly those who are of the older generation in Cabinet.And I guess President Pohamba, like any head of state, would prefer those he can work with effectively to move forward his vision for the country, rather than show their obeisance to the former President, especially if things between them have soured.These are clearly political appointments, made at the President’s own prerogative, and members of Cabinet should know this already.Hopefully the potential fall-out of the process, if it goes ahead, will not be too disruptive.Those who get their marching orders have to, as many have before them, accept their fate.We may still query the wisdom of the President’s decisions, but we cannot question his right to do what is his constitutional prerogative, and it is clear that he cannot ‘captain the ship’ with sailors intent on mutiny.NOT that one wants to fuel dissension between the two, except to say that it’s an open secret that all has not been well between Nujoma and the man he initially handpicked to be his successor to the Presidency, Hifikepunye Pohamba, for some time now and these tensions may well be exacerbated if our Head of State decides to make some changes to his Cabinet.He is fully entitled to do so, of course, as President Nujoma did before him, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the envisaged moves will meet with the approval of the former President.And ‘so what?’ one might ask.If President Pohamba decides to make changes to his executive team, then he is fully entitled to do so, with or without consultation, as he sees fit.At present, of course, there is no certainty on this score, and only time will tell if he intends to make the said changes which, if they come, would be sooner rather than later.Independence Day this year marked President Pohamba’s first year in office, and it is a time where people are wondering whether he will now make his own choices.There was little doubt that the first Cabinet chosen by him was a compromise; what was referred to as ‘continuity in change’, and now may be the time he feels to be appropriate to assert himself.Perhaps some guidance as to his future actions may be found in his Independence Day statement when he said he was “privileged to be the Captain of this ship”, and he called on people to work together as a team even though there would be “times when the seas are stormy and the mission appears difficult”.He has, in recent interviews with this newspaper, among others, stated “reshuffle, what reshuffle?” when asked whether he intends to alter his Cabinet, but consistent rumours do indicate he may have some reform in mind.Certain Ministers are demonstrably jittery and there is considerable behind-the-scenes speculation about what the President has in mind.The current tension between the former and incumbent heads of state is nothing new, but may well be coming to a head.We don’t need to re-visit the historic reasons as to how this came about in the aftermath of President Pohamba’s ascendancy to power, but suffice it to say that he would prefer to be his own man and not be at the beck and call of the Swapo Party President (Nujoma’s refusal to step down as Party President being another clear reason for the dissension between the two of them, of course).So far, Pohamba has actively sought compromise rather than confrontation, but if he goes the route of a ‘reshuffle’ this is bound to bring things to a head between them.This appeared manifest in former President Nujoma’s decision to travel to Mariental for Independence Day, rather than attend the Windhoek-based celebrations as he was originally scheduled to do.And of course, if and when modification comes, there are likely to be both good and bad consequences.People generally are resistant to change, tending to prefer the status quo, however much it may be in need of reform, to the unknown, particularly those who are of the older generation in Cabinet.And I guess President Pohamba, like any head of state, would prefer those he can work with effectively to move forward his vision for the country, rather than show their obeisance to the former President, especially if things between them have soured.These are clearly political appointments, made at the President’s own prerogative, and members of Cabinet should know this already.Hopefully the potential fall-out of the process, if it goes ahead, will not be too disruptive.Those who get their marching orders have to, as many have before them, accept their fate.We may still query the wisdom of the President’s decisions, but we cannot question his right to do what is his constitutional prerogative, and it is clear that he cannot ‘captain the ship’ with sailors intent on mutiny.