Political Perspective

LOTS of talk about ill-feeling mounting in Swapo ranks, and this despite ‘unity’ attempts which seem to have exacerbated, rather than helped, the situation.

It has now escalated to the extent that a Swapo delegation went to see former President Sam Nujoma to request him to stand down as Party leader, in order to give incumbent President Hifikepunye Pohamba a fair chance to serve his term without interference. NO surprise that former President Nujoma is reported to have reacted angrily and is obviously not prepared to consider such requests.The long and short of it is really, that if Nujoma won’t stand down as President of Swapo, then at least he should be backing President Pohamba, both publicly and otherwise, in order to facilitate good governance of the country because big challenges lie ahead.There remains confusion about who’s really in charge.Even in Swapo ranks, there is talk of the ‘two heads of state’, and this, sorry to say, is compounded by Cabinet’s decision to hang photographs of the former and incumbent Presidents in all Government offices! I suppose it all comes down to what many suspected all along: could Pohamba ever really be his own man, when President Nujoma was the one who put him where he is today? Even if he doesn’t defer to him, he’s certainly not going to challenge him publicly.The issue of the use of a State helicopter by the former head of state on non-government business is an example in point.If President Pohamba’s office is paying for it, as would appear to be the case, then he’s making himself guilty of the very scourge he has, from the outset, vowed to fight tooth and nail: corruption.But what can he do? Refer the invoice for the cost of the helicopter to the Sam Nujoma Foundation or the Swapo President himself? Technically, that’s probably what he should do, but it is certain to be seen as a confrontational move if he even tried to do this.We should all be aware by now that it is a very delicate and potentially explosive situation, and needs to be handled very well indeed by both former and incumbent Presidents if it is not to flare up and implode.I have suggested before, and do so again, that former President Nujoma needs to be supportive of the candidate he chose as his successor.He needs to inform the country at large, and indeed Swapo in particular, that Pohamba is now the man holding the reins of power and he should facilitate this at all costs, for the good of the country as a whole.But at present, it is not clear that he is in fact supportive of Pohamba.The latter would be the last to complain, even when at Swapo Politburo and Central Committee meetings, Nujoma is the one given the welcome befitting the head of state.But others took issue on Pohamba’s behalf, and it is clear that the recent delegation who visited the former President did so because the maintenance of peace and harmony is crucial, particularly at this time in our history when President Pohamba may well have to take decisions that are unpopular among leadership and even rank and file, especially when it comes to the fight against corruption.We’ve seen, for example, Swapo take a hard line against the likes of Paulus Kapia, both on his presence in the Party leadership and as an MP in Parliament.And yet Kapia continues to be defiant.Why? We hope it is not because the former President is giving him tacit support to stay on.President Pohamba needs to be absolutely unforgiving in his fight against corruption, and this will inevitably mean that he has to take issue, even with stalwarts in the Party itself.It does not surprise that Nujoma won’t step down as Party President, even if this may well be the advisable course of action right now.But if so, he should ‘retire’ in the true sense of the word, and when and where he is active, muster all the forces at his disposal to back up the decisions and actions of the man he wanted to inherit his ‘throne’.There’s everything at stake.NO surprise that former President Nujoma is reported to have reacted angrily and is obviously not prepared to consider such requests.The long and short of it is really, that if Nujoma won’t stand down as President of Swapo, then at least he should be backing President Pohamba, both publicly and otherwise, in order to facilitate good governance of the country because big challenges lie ahead.There remains confusion about who’s really in charge.Even in Swapo ranks, there is talk of the ‘two heads of state’, and this, sorry to say, is compounded by Cabinet’s decision to hang photographs of the former and incumbent Presidents in all Government offices! I suppose it all comes down to what many suspected all along: could Pohamba ever really be his own man, when President Nujoma was the one who put him where he is today? Even if he doesn’t defer to him, he’s certainly not going to challenge him publicly.The issue of the use of a State helicopter by the former head of state on non-government business is an example in point.If President Pohamba’s office is paying for it, as would appear to be the case, then he’s making himself guilty of the very scourge he has, from the outset, vowed to fight tooth and nail: corruption.But what can he do? Refer the invoice for the cost of the helicopter to the Sam Nujoma Foundation or the Swapo President himself? Technically, that’s probably what he should do, but it is certain to be seen as a confrontational move if he even tried to do this.We should all be aware by now that it is a very delicate and potentially explosive situation, and needs to be handled very well indeed by both former and incumbent Presidents if it is not to flare up and implode.I have suggested before, and do so again, that former President Nujoma needs to be supportive of the candidate he chose as his successor.He needs to inform the country at large, and indeed Swapo in particular, that Pohamba is now the man holding the reins of power and he should facilitate this at all costs, for the good of the country as a whole.But at present, it is not clear that he is in fact supportive of Pohamba.The latter would be the last to complain, even when at Swapo Politburo and Central Committee meetings, Nujoma is the one given the welcome befitting the head of state.But others took issue on Pohamba’s behalf, and it is clear that the recent delegation who visited the former President did so because the maintenance of peace and harmony is crucial, particularly at this time in our history when President Pohamba may well have to take decisions that are unpopular among leadership and even rank and file, especially when it comes to the fight against corruption.We’ve seen, for example, Swapo take a hard line against the likes of Paulus Kapia, both on his presence in the Party leadership and as an MP in Parliament.And yet Kapia continues to be defiant.Why? We hope it is not because the former President is giving him tacit support to stay on.President Pohamba needs to be absolutely unforgiving in his fight against corruption, and this will inevitably mean that he has to take issue, even with stalwarts in the Party itself.It does not surprise that Nujoma won’t step down as Party President, even if this may well be the advisable course of action right now.But if so, he should ‘retire’ in the true sense of the word, and when and where he is active, muster all the forces at his disposal to back up the decisions and actions of the man he wanted to inherit his ‘throne’.There’s everything at stake.

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