Political Perspective

IF there is a concrete threat to our democracy at present, then it is what I would term the ‘forces of darkness’ and we need to bring them into the light or we will be forever bogged down in the era of liberation era politics, now long gone, and at the cost of our nation’s development.

The reactionary stance exhibited in a statement this week by the combined forces of Swapo’s Youth League, the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) and the Swapo Elders’ and Women’s Councils, represents more danger to our democracy than anything else, and if our Head of State does not rein in these forces speedily, our hitherto peaceful nation could be no more. AT risk of sounding dramatic, our country finds itself on a slippery slope right now.And someone very senior, either the past or present President, needs to call his troops to order.Simply speaking, it is hard to believe that the NSHR submission to the International Criminal Court (ICC) could have unleashed such disproportionate reaction from the Swapo stable, which calls, among others, for legislation against this newspaper, the NSHR, CoD and Forum for the Future, to defend the country’s “sovereignty, national interest and security”.They have based their inflammatory statement on lies and innuendo, and I have no doubt that the Namibian people will greet this ‘call to arms’ with total scepticism or disbelief.The group accuses NGOs and ‘media operators’ of “abusing and misusing freedom of expression and press to incite violence and destabilise our country”.The Namibian, for one, has a proud, 22-year history of responsible journalism in Namibia, and no regular reader could allege we have ever abused this right.Neither has this newspaper any connection with groups and organisations and parties such as the Forum for the Future or NSHR or CoD, except insofar as media coverage of their activities is concerned.Anyone who has followed the Swapo line over the past number of years would know that The Namibian has been variously accused of, among others: funding the CoD; funding what was then termed the Hamutenya faction and an alleged coup plot; being the agents of imperialists; and the list goes on.All of which are figments of the ruling party’s imagination.Deja vu.Pre-independence we allegedly sponsored Swapo, were Swapo’s ‘running dogs’, were called the Swapo newspaper, and were considered “die groot rooi gevaar”.The Namibian is a newspaper.It may at times be a controversial one, but it does not fund political parties, or even support any of them individually.It is an independent newspaper specifically to ensure that the news and information we give to our readers is just that – and without strings attached to any other parties, organisations or institutions.Those who regularly read the newspaper would dismiss Swapo’s allegations with contempt, for people are well aware that The Namibian has on several occasions been severely at odds with Phil ya Nangoloh and the NSHR, has critically covered and commented on the disintegration of the CoD, among others.More than this does not need to be said.If, by our SMS page and our criticism of heads of state, both former and present, we constitute what is termed “a threat to state security” then so be it.Swapo in that case has no idea of what democracy is and it is really time they learned the difference between public debate and discussion and calls to armed insurrection! It is also time they acknowledge once and for all, that while former President Sam Nujoma’s contribution to the struggle for the liberation of Namibia was massive in that he spearheaded the resistance for decades, others gave their share too.And it may also be timely for Swapo to acknowledge, like it or not, that the media, most notably this newspaper, have struggle credentials more weighty than many of those noisy and dark forces in their ranks.And since they are now the experts on the policy of national reconciliation, which they themselves have regularly flaunted at every turn since its inception, among others by launching attacks on foreigners, the political opposition, gays and lesbians, the ‘Hamutenya group’, imperialists (you name it, they’ve attacked it at some point!), we challenge them to tell us precisely what national reconciliation means.For it is defined nowhere.Good policy as it may be, it also does require definition.It is not merely there to protect the former President against his critics, even if he was the architect of that policy.Finally, our SMS page has been introduced to give our readers more access to the newspaper, and allow our leaders to keep their fingers on the pulse of public opinion.Nothing more, nothing less.Yet Swapo wants to call for a banning order on people’s views! Those accusing us of aligning with “traitorous forces” have no idea what they’re talking about.It is really high time that our political leadership get those with self-described “revolutionary fire in their bellies” to desist with trying to destabilise our democracy and driving our people from the light back into the darkness.AT risk of sounding dramatic, our country finds itself on a slippery slope right now.And someone very senior, either the past or present President, needs to call his troops to order.Simply speaking, it is hard to believe that the NSHR submission to the International Criminal Court (ICC) could have unleashed such disproportionate reaction from the Swapo stable, which calls, among others, for legislation against this newspaper, the NSHR, CoD and Forum for the Future, to defend the country’s “sovereignty, national interest and security”.They have based their inflammatory statement on lies and innuendo, and I have no doubt that the Namibian people will greet this ‘call to arms’ with total scepticism or disbelief.The group accuses NGOs and ‘media operators’ of “abusing and misusing freedom of expression and press to incite violence and destabilise our country”.The Namibian, for one, has a proud, 22-year history of responsible journalism in Namibia, and no regular reader could allege we have ever abused this right.Neither has this newspaper any connection with groups and organisations and parties such as the Forum for the Future or NSHR or CoD, except insofar as media coverage of their activities is concerned.Anyone who has followed the Swapo line over the past number of years would know that The Namibian has been variously accused of, among others: funding the CoD; funding what was then termed the Hamutenya faction and an alleged coup plot; being the agents of imperialists; and the list goes on.All of which are figments of the ruling party’s imagination.Deja vu.Pre-independence we allegedly sponsored Swapo, were Swapo’s ‘running dogs’, were called the Swapo newspaper, and were considered “die groot rooi gevaar”.The Namibian is a newspaper.It may at times be a controversial one, but it does not fund political parties, or even support any of them individually.It is an independent newspaper specifically to ensure that the news and information we give to our readers is just that – and without strings attached to any other parties, organisations or institutions.Those who regularly read the newspaper would dismiss Swapo’s allegations with contempt, for people are well aware that The Namibian has on several occasions been severely at odds with Phil ya Nangoloh and the NSHR, has critically covered and commented on the disintegration of the CoD, among others.More than this does not need to be said.If, by our SMS page and our criticism of heads of state, both former and present, we constitute what is termed “a threat to state security” then so be it.Swapo in that case has no idea of what democracy is and it is really time they learned the difference between public debate and discussion and calls to armed insurrection! It is also time they acknowledge once and for all, that while former President Sam Nujoma’s contribution to the struggle for the liberation of Namibia was massive in that he spearheaded the resistance for decades, others gave their share too.And it may also be timely for Swapo to acknowledge, like it or not, that the media, most notably this newspaper, have struggle credentials more weighty than many of those noisy and dark forces in their ranks.And since they are now the experts on the policy of national reconciliation, which they themselves have regularly flaunted at every turn since its inception, among others by launching attacks on foreigners, the political opposition, gays and lesbians, the ‘Hamutenya group’, imperialists (you name it, they’ve attacked it at some point!), we challenge them to tell us precisely what national reconciliation means.For it is defined nowhere.Good policy as it may be, it also does require definition.It is not merely there to protect the former President against his critics, even if he was the architect of that policy.Finally, our SMS page has been introduced to give our readers more access to the newspaper, and allow our leaders to keep their fingers on the pulse of public opinion.Nothing more, nothing less.Yet Swapo wants to call for a banning order on people’s views! Those accusing us of aligning with “traitorous forces” have no idea what they’re talking about.It is really high time that our political leadership get those with self-described “revolutionary fire in their bellies” to desist with trying to destabilise our democracy and driving our people from the light back into the darkness.