Rally riot a sign of anarchy: NSHR

THE National Society for Human Rights has condemned the “signs of anarchy” and breakdown of law and order which manifested itself near the ‘One Nation’ section of Windhoek’s Katutura suburb on Saturday.

A group of Swapo Party supporters defied repeated Police instructions to clear an area where a rival party, the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), was to hold a rally. Swapo Party supporters came together at the spot and, when instructed by the Police, refused to move.The NSHR said some of the members of the group allegedly provoked the Police by shouting obscenities and insults at them.Human rights monitors claimed to have overhead some Swapo leaders encouraging their supporters to confront the Police and to “stay put” and “never allow RDP to hold their meeting here”.Swapo Party supporters claimed that the area was a “no-go area” to the RDP as “this is our turf”.”This riotous conduct, on the part of certain, not all, members of the ruling Swapo Party, is not at all a spontaneous one.One must not look elsewhere for an answer.This behaviour is part of the clearer and more ominous manifestations of what has been happening in this country since the fateful meeting Swapo Party Politburo on April 3-4 2004,” said NSHR executive director Phil ya Nangoloh.At that meeting former Namibian President Sam Nujoma said he will not run for a fourth term of office.The NSHR claimed that Nujoma was forced to step down.”These riotous behaviours by conservative and opportunistic Swapo Party members are reflective of the fact that clearly there are now two rival factions with the ruling party,” said Ya Nangoloh.One faction, he claimed, supported Nujoma and was hard at work to ensure that the country becomes ungovernable “supposedly because of the ineptitude and incompetence on the part of President Hifikepunye Pohamba and Prime Minister Nahas Angula”.He said Namibians must wake up and realise “these dangerous machinations by the former President”.”Hence, as long as former President Nujoma is allowed to implicitly or explicitly involve himself in active party politics at the expense of taxpayers’ money, there would be no peace and stability in this country, let alone the much-talked-about socio-economic development”, Ya Nangoloh said.Swapo Party supporters came together at the spot and, when instructed by the Police, refused to move.The NSHR said some of the members of the group allegedly provoked the Police by shouting obscenities and insults at them.Human rights monitors claimed to have overhead some Swapo leaders encouraging their supporters to confront the Police and to “stay put” and “never allow RDP to hold their meeting here”.Swapo Party supporters claimed that the area was a “no-go area” to the RDP as “this is our turf”.”This riotous conduct, on the part of certain, not all, members of the ruling Swapo Party, is not at all a spontaneous one. One must not look elsewhere for an answer.This behaviour is part of the clearer and more ominous manifestations of what has been happening in this country since the fateful meeting Swapo Party Politburo on April 3-4 2004,” said NSHR executive director Phil ya Nangoloh.At that meeting former Namibian President Sam Nujoma said he will not run for a fourth term of office.The NSHR claimed that Nujoma was forced to step down.”These riotous behaviours by conservative and opportunistic Swapo Party members are reflective of the fact that clearly there are now two rival factions with the ruling party,” said Ya Nangoloh.One faction, he claimed, supported Nujoma and was hard at work to ensure that the country becomes ungovernable “supposedly because of the ineptitude and incompetence on the part of President Hifikepunye Pohamba and Prime Minister Nahas Angula”.He said Namibians must wake up and realise “these dangerous machinations by the former President”.”Hence, as long as former President Nujoma is allowed to implicitly or explicitly involve himself in active party politics at the expense of taxpayers’ money, there would be no peace and stability in this country, let alone the much-talked-about socio-economic development”, Ya Nangoloh said.