President rejects war vets’ demands

WAR VETERANS at the centre of pressuring Government for compensation yesterday held their fire on President Hifikepunye Pohamba’s rejection of their demands.

Spokesperson for the ‘Committee for the Welfare of Ex-Combatants’, Alex Kamwi, said the address by the Head of State was made to the nation and not to the Committee, which was still waiting for an official reply from State House. In his address to the nation on Friday, President Pohamba said acceding to the demands of the veterans would weaken the economy, leading to instability.The Head of State made it clear that the demands of the war veterans’ group – to be paid a lump sum of N$500 000 per soldier, or N$31 000 for each or the 23 years of the liberation struggle, plus N$8 000 per month from now on, free education and burials and the right to work until the age of 70 – would cost Government N$6 billion a year or 40 per cent of the annual budget.”This would decimate our national economy.We all know that no country has experienced peace, security and stability in an atmosphere of an economic meltdown,” President Pohamba cautioned.”We cannot take actions that will lead to the collapse of our economy and social order – this will bring even more hardship not only to the ex-combatants, but to all citizens of Namibia.This will be a recipe for political and social instability.As a responsible Government (we say) this should not be allowed,” the President said.However, he said that “as a responsible Government we will constantly monitor and review the socio-economic plight of those patriotic Namibians who took part in the struggle with a view to improving their plight” when the economy was in a position to do so.”We will (then) address the plight of those compatriots, the ex-combatants who are currently receiving a small pension after serving their Government for a short period prior to their retirement.”Kamwi said yesterday that he could not comment on “hearsay”.”When we had a meeting at State House on June 16, the President promised to give an official response to our Committee, so his televised address, of which I was unaware, was to the Namibian nation and not to us, as a result I cannot comment on hearsay,” he told The Namibian.”This issue dates back two years, when we approached the former Head of State, President Nujoma, in 2004,” Kamwi told this newspaper.”Nujoma told us then to put our request in writing and to send the document to the Swapo Vice President at that time, John Pandeni.This we have done, but we never got feedback,” Kamwi maintained.’MANY SUFFERED’ President Pohamba recorded an address to the nation at State House in the presence of Cabinet Ministers and the media late Friday afternoon, which was broadcast on NBC television later the same evening.He said the reward of patriotic Namibians who took part in the liberation struggle for national independence “should not only be seen in monetary terms”.Leaders of the Swapo Party who remained inside Namibia suffered with their families under the oppressive apartheid rule, Pohamba noted.Countries like Zambia and Angola, which gave Swapo logistical bases, suffered a heavy loss of life, personal injury and destruction of property and infrastructure.”The economic sabotage inflicted by the enemy on these countries adversely affected each and every citizen of these sister countries,” Pohamba said.As the Namibian State was founded on the rule of law, freedom, and justice for all, the Government had a responsibility to “promote the welfare of all Namibians, irrespective of colour, race, or ethnic origin.”It was for those reasons that during the past 16 years, Government had prioritised the provision of basic services and public amenities to all citizens in each of the 13 regions.”We will continue to implement those measures that were put in place after the audits and studies carried out by the Cabinet Technical Committee on the Welfare of Ex-Combatants in 1998,” the President emphasised.”We will continually seek to identify innovative ways and means of addressing the social and economic plight of our people in order to improve their standard of living,” he said.But the President warned: “One thing must be clear – we cannot afford to take hasty actions that can cause social and economic disintegration; we cannot afford to take our country along the path of economic ruin.””I appeal for calm, national unity and hard work so that we can grow the economy and thereby improve the socio-economic plight of all our citizens,” Pohamba said in conclusion.ADDITIONAL DEMANDS The war veterans’ committee also wants fishing quotas, mining concessions and protection from unfair competition.They also expect Government to set up a special fund for them and to compel all parastatals and private-sector companies to contribute to such a fund, topped up by Government.Last month, Swapo President Sam Nujoma strongly rejected the demands of the group after meeting with them, saying it was not established in accordance with the Swapo constitution.Nujoma called on Swapo to ensure that the committee did not organise meetings or demonstrations under the Swapo banner.According to Kamwi, his group will go ahead with a planned demonstration on September 4.Meanwhile, Swapo has apparently sent its Secretary General, Ngarikutuke Tjiriange, on a fact-finding mission to Zimbabwe and South Africa to hear how those two countries handled compensation for ex-freedom fighters.In Namibia, all former Swapo fighters older than 55 receive N$500 a month on top of a monthly old-age pension of N$500 from the War Veterans’ Fund.Disabled veterans under 55 receive N$500 monthly.Some 8 777 former freedom fighters were employed by Government in 1998, after several hundred of them travelled to Windhoek and camped in Parliament Gardens for several days.They were then housed at the Windhoek Showgrounds for several weeks until Government came up with solutions.The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) yesterday urged Government as well as Swapo “to enter into dialogue with the ex-combatants to seek an amicable solution to the compensation impasse”.”We are pleased that President Pohamba, unlike Swapo Party President Nujoma, has not dismissed the concerns of ex-combatants,” NSHR Executive Director Phil ya Nangoloh said.In his address to the nation on Friday, President Pohamba said acceding to the demands of the veterans would weaken the economy, leading to instability.The Head of State made it clear that the demands of the war veterans’ group – to be paid a lump sum of N$500 000 per soldier, or N$31 000 for each or the 23 years of the liberation struggle, plus N$8 000 per month from now on, free education and burials and the right to work until the age of 70 – would cost Government N$6 billion a year or 40 per cent of the annual budget.”This would decimate our national economy.We all know that no country has experienced peace, security and stability in an atmosphere of an economic meltdown,” President Pohamba cautioned.”We cannot take actions that will lead to the collapse of our economy and social order – this will bring even more hardship not only to the ex-combatants, but to all citizens of Namibia.This will be a recipe for political and social instability.As a responsible Government (we say) this should not be allowed,” the President said.However, he said that “as a responsible Government we will constantly monitor and review the socio-economic plight of those patriotic Namibians who took part in the struggle with a view to improving their plight” when the economy was in a position to do so.”We will (then) address the plight of those compatriots, the ex-combatants who are currently receiving a small pension after serving their Government for a short period prior to their retirement.”Kamwi said yesterday that he could not comment on “hearsay”.”When we had a meeting at State House on June 16, the President promised to give an official response to our Committee, so his televised address, of which I was unaware, was to the Namibian nation and not to us, as a result I cannot comment on hearsay,” he told The Namibian.”This issue dates back two years, when we approached the former Head of State, President Nujoma, in 2004,” Kamwi told this newspaper.”Nujoma told us then to put our request in writing and to send the document to the Swapo Vice President at that time, John Pandeni.This we have done, but we never got feedback,” Kamwi maintained.’MANY SUFFERED’ President Pohamba recorded an address to the nation at State House in the presence of Cabinet Ministers and the media late Friday afternoon, which was broadcast on NBC television later the same evening.He said the reward of patriotic Namibians who took part in the liberation struggle for national independence “should not only be seen in monetary terms”.Leaders of the Swapo Party who remained inside Namibia suffered with their families under the oppressive apartheid rule, Pohamba noted.Countries like Zambia and Angola, which gave Swapo logistical bases, suffered a heavy loss of life, personal injury and destruction of property and infrastructure.”The economic sabotage inflicted by the enemy on these countries adversely affected each and every citizen of these sister countries,” Pohamba said.As the Namibian State was founded on the rule of law, freedom, and justice for all, the Government had a responsibility to “promote the welfare of all Namibians, irrespective of colour, race, or ethnic origin.”It was for those reasons that during the past 16 years, Government had prioritised the provision of basic services and public amenities to all citizens in each of the 13 regions.”We will continue to implement those measures that were put in place after the audits and studies carried out by the Cabinet Technical Committee on the Welfare of Ex-Combatants in 1998,” the President emphasised.”We will continually seek to identify innovative ways and means of addressing the social and economic plight of our people in order to improve their standard of living,” he said.But the President warned: “One thing must be clear – we cannot afford to take hasty actions that can cause social and economic disintegration; we cannot afford to take our country along the path of economic ruin.””I appeal for calm, national unity and hard work so that we can grow the economy and thereby improve the socio-economic plight of all our citizens,” Pohamba said in conclusion.ADDITIONAL DEMANDS The war veterans’ committee also wants fishing quotas, mining concessions and protection from unfair competition.They also expect Government to set up a special fund for them and to compel all parastatals and private-sector companies to contribute to such a fund, topped up by Government.Last month, Swapo President Sam Nujoma strongly rejected the demands of the group after meeting with them, saying it was not established in accordance with the Swapo constitution.Nujoma called on Swapo to ensure that the committee did not organise meetings or demonstrations under the Swapo banner.According to Kamwi, his group will go ahead with a planned demonstration on September 4.Meanwhile, Swapo has apparently sent its Secretary General, Ngarikutuke Tjiriange, on a fact-finding mission to Zimbabwe and South Africa to hear how those two countries handled compensation for ex-freedom fighters.In Namibia, all former Swapo fighters older than 55 receive N$500 a month on top of a monthly old-age pension of N$500 from the War Veterans’ Fund.Disabled veterans under 55 receive N$500 monthly.Some 8 777 former freedom fighters were employed by Government in 1998, after several hundred of them travelled to Windhoek and camped in Parliament Gardens for several days.They were then housed at the Windhoek Showgrounds for several weeks until Government came up with solutions.The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) yesterday urged Government as well as Swapo “to enter into dialogue with the ex-combatants to seek an amicable solution to the compensation impasse”.”We are pleased that President Pohamba, unlike Swapo Party President Nujoma, has not dismissed the concerns of ex-combatants,” NSHR Executive Director Phil ya Nangoloh said.