‘Something fishy about Kanime’s suspension’

OPPOSITION political parties fear that disciplinary action against the Director of Elections, Philemon Kanime, will pave the way for voter manipulation and rigging.

The Electoral Commission of Namibia announced on Friday that it had put Kanime on “special vacation leave”, but parties said there was “something fishy”, especially as they had long complained about his ability to conduct elections. “The chickens have come home to roost.All along Swapo did nothing when we launched complaints about the voters’ roll.When he [Kanime] was operating in their favour, they saw no wrong.Now that he is impartial, they remove him.That is the ultimate of hypocrisy,” said DTA president Katuutire Kaura.”Swapo is a party of hypocrites and vote riggers,” Kaura added.He said when the DTA raised concern about around 200 names on the voters’ roll in the Windhoek East constituency during the last regional council elections, Swapo “just ignored everything”.”Now we have 12 names at Omuthiya, and it is a big issue because they are realising that they might not win the election,” Kaura said.Jesaya Nyamu, interim chairman of the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), said they were still studying the matter but feared voter manipulation.”I can assure you that we are going to face a similar situation like Kenya of vote rigging, if we are not careful.We are already sliding towards that.The ECN is being manipulated,” Nyamu claimed.He said the RDP would investigate the whole issue.The National Society for Human Rights called on ECN Chairperson Victor Tonchi to reveal the “nature and number of the irregularities” which had led to the suspension of Kanime, his deputy Ananias Elago, Chief Control Officer Hesekiel Shigwedha and Chief System Administrator Nicodemus Mingelus.”We are saying this because, following, and in reacting to inter alia the objections that we had raised recently about the irregularities in the recruitment of registration officials for Omuthiya elections, the ECN issued a media release on February 8 informing the public that it had investigated our objections and that no irregularities had been found.”Hence, we, for obvious reasons, are very keenly interested in establishing from ECN Chairperson Tonchi and other commissioners what the ‘previous incidents’ were and whether or not Tonchi had willingly lied to the public then,” said NSHR executive director Phil ya Nangoloh.The human rights organisation also urged the ECN to voluntarily show cause why its five commissioners, including Tonchi, should not be held accountable for the ECN’s failure to direct, supervise and control Kanime.The NSHR said President Hifikepunye Pohamba must remove the commissioners, as they had failed to direct, supervise and control the powers of Kanime and his team.”The chickens have come home to roost.All along Swapo did nothing when we launched complaints about the voters’ roll.When he [Kanime] was operating in their favour, they saw no wrong.Now that he is impartial, they remove him.That is the ultimate of hypocrisy,” said DTA president Katuutire Kaura. “Swapo is a party of hypocrites and vote riggers,” Kaura added.He said when the DTA raised concern about around 200 names on the voters’ roll in the Windhoek East constituency during the last regional council elections, Swapo “just ignored everything”.”Now we have 12 names at Omuthiya, and it is a big issue because they are realising that they might not win the election,” Kaura said.Jesaya Nyamu, interim chairman of the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), said they were still studying the matter but feared voter manipulation.”I can assure you that we are going to face a similar situation like Kenya of vote rigging, if we are not careful.We are already sliding towards that.The ECN is being manipulated,” Nyamu claimed.He said the RDP would investigate the whole issue.The National Society for Human Rights called on ECN Chairperson Victor Tonchi to reveal the “nature and number of the irregularities” which had led to the suspension of Kanime, his deputy Ananias Elago, Chief Control Officer Hesekiel Shigwedha and Chief System Administrator Nicodemus Mingelus.”We are saying this because, following, and in reacting to inter alia the objections that we had raised recently about the irregularities in the recruitment of registration officials for Omuthiya elections, the ECN issued a media release on February 8 informing the public that it had investigated our objections and that no irregularities had been found.”Hence, we, for obvious reasons, are very keenly interested in establishing from ECN Chairperson Tonchi and other commissioners what the ‘previous incidents’ were and whether or not Tonchi had willingly lied to the public then,” said NSHR executive director Phil ya Nangoloh.The human rights organisation also urged the ECN to voluntarily show cause why its five commissioners, including Tonchi, should not be held accountable for the ECN’s failure to direct, supervise and control Kanime.The NSHR said President Hifikepunye Pohamba must remove the commissioners, as they had failed to direct, supervise and control the powers of Kanime and his team.