Quo Vadis Tjiriange And The Vets?

“ONGOMA ohayi hokelwa pondjila”, says an Oshiwambo proverb.

Literally translated, it means that drum carving is done alongside a pathway. The essence of this proverb is that when you design something that goes to serve the best interests of the community, you expose your work to comments by members of the community.In this way, you involve the community in perfecting the final product.For some months now, Ngarikutuke Tjiriange has been hard at work designing and structuring the new Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs.It is now high time that he updates the Namibian public about what he has done so far.The real issue the public is curious to know is how the two categories of Namibian war veterans would be accommodated in the new ministry and benefit from its services.A “war veteran” is a person with long experience in military service.Namibia has “war veterans” who fought on both sides of the War of Liberation.On the one hand are former members of the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN).They include some ex-detainees who, for reasons still unclear, found themselves languishing in the Lubango dungeons after many years at the battlefields.On the other hand are former members of the South West Africa Territorial Force (SWATF) and Koevoet paramilitary.Many young Namibian men were conscripted into SWATF, leading to the formation of the Committee of Parents consisting mainly of mothers who were opposed to their sons being forced into the army.Some of the Lubango detainees were people who fled the country to avoid conscription into SWATF.Remarks have been made that the new ministry will assist “veterans of the War of Liberation” with self-help programmes, access to counselling and rehabilitation, information on housing options, education and training opportunities, and community support services.There have also been some short-sighted remarks indicating favouritism of one group of war veterans above the other.Such remarks are based on parochial politics, an evil that has undermined national unity and development in many countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.An honest government cannot use public money to empower one group of citizens and leave out another group with the same needs.Our country has witnessed a number of failed public initiatives because we create projects either to boost the ego of an individual or to serve the exclusive interests of a certain group of people.Let Tjiriange’s work be informed by the words of the following Namibians: Cautioning against an initiative of treacherous nature, the late Andrew Kloppers said: “That which has been conceived in sin will die in sin”.Certainly, the initiative he was referring to collapsed disgracefully a few years after it was launched.Lubango detainee Gerald Tjozongoro used to remind his fellow dungeon inmates in Otjiherero: “Ouye otjizingurura onya wohorongo”, meaning that the world turns around like the horn of a kudu.(The last day his fellow inmates saw him was when he was murmuring that he was tired of telling lies as he was being called out for an interrogation session).Today we see Gerald’s words coming true in relation to the Lubango detainees’ issue and other political developments in Namibia.In his inaugural address on 21 March 2005, President Hifikepunye Pohamba said, amongst others: “I swear that I will, from this day on, dedicate myself to the service and well-being of the people of Namibia, without exception, and to do right to all”.Let Tjiriange’s work be guided by this clear statement.In summary, these three fellow Namibians are telling us to void ill-conceived initiatives, to be farsighted and to use public offices and resources for the service of all Namibians without exception.Samson Ndeikwila Coordinator Forum for the FutureThe essence of this proverb is that when you design something that goes to serve the best interests of the community, you expose your work to comments by members of the community.In this way, you involve the community in perfecting the final product.For some months now, Ngarikutuke Tjiriange has been hard at work designing and structuring the new Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs.It is now high time that he updates the Namibian public about what he has done so far.The real issue the public is curious to know is how the two categories of Namibian war veterans would be accommodated in the new ministry and benefit from its services. A “war veteran” is a person with long experience in military service.Namibia has “war veterans” who fought on both sides of the War of Liberation.On the one hand are former members of the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN).They include some ex-detainees who, for reasons still unclear, found themselves languishing in the Lubango dungeons after many years at the battlefields.On the other hand are former members of the South West Africa Territorial Force (SWATF) and Koevoet paramilitary.Many young Namibian men were conscripted into SWATF, leading to the formation of the Committee of Parents consisting mainly of mothers who were opposed to their sons being forced into the army.Some of the Lubango detainees were people who fled the country to avoid conscription into SWATF.Remarks have been made that the new ministry will assist “veterans of the War of Liberation” with self-help programmes, access to counselling and rehabilitation, information on housing options, education and training opportunities, and community support services.There have also been some short-sighted remarks indicating favouritism of one group of war veterans above the other.Such remarks are based on parochial politics, an evil that has undermined national unity and development in many countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.An honest government cannot use public money to empower one group of citizens and leave out another group with the same needs.Our country has witnessed a number of failed public initiatives because we create projects either to boost the ego of an individual or to serve the exclusive interests of a certain group of people.Let Tjiriange’s work be informed by the words of the following Namibians: Cautioning against an initiative of treacherous nature, the late Andrew Kloppers said: “That which has been conceived in sin will die in sin”.Certainly, the initiative he was referring to collapsed disgracefully a few years after it was launched.Lubango detainee Gerald Tjozongoro used to remind his fellow dungeon inmates in Otjiherero: “Ouye otjizingurura onya wohorongo”, meaning that the world turns around like the horn of a kudu.(The last day his fellow inmates saw him was when he was murmuring that he was tired of telling lies as he was being called out for an interrogation session).Today we see Gerald’s words coming true in relation to the Lubango detainees’ issue and other political developments in Namibia.In his inaugural address on 21 March 2005, President Hifikepunye Pohamba said, amongst others: “I swear that I will, from this day on, dedicate myself to the service and well-being of the people of Namibia, without exception, and to do right to all”.Let Tjiriange’s work be guided by this clear statement.In summary, these three fellow Namibians are telling us to void ill-conceived initiatives, to be farsighted and to use public offices and resources for the service of all Namibians without exception.Samson Ndeikwila Coordinator Forum for the Future