Swapo has led country ‘to economic and social destruction’, says CoD

THE Congress of Democrats (CoD) set the tone for this election year, calling President Sam Nujoma a “political trickster” and Swapo “circus magicians” whom it promised to “expose” as a “political sham”.

CoD president Ben Ulenga on Saturday opened a meeting of his party’s National Executive Committee and went on the offensive against Swapo’s policies. He also reacted to President Nujoma’s personal attacks against him.”This time we shall take no prisoners,” Ulenga rounded off his speech that had started with the declaration that the CoD’s “political opponents are shaken” by the party’s performance in the local authority elections last month.He said Namibians had for the past 14 years been tricked and “bamboozled” into electing “false leaders” who had failed to deliver on visions of the… biblical promised land”.The opposition party leader said Swapo had “destroyed the education system” that they were taking Namibia “…. backward into something worse than a banana republic”.The expropriation of land that Swapo had undertaken would lead to economic and social destruction.The ruling party’s policies, said Ulenga, would cause economic uncertainty, stagnation and “back-sliding” and they had already led to “squatter towns, which Government graciously calls informal settlements”.Ulenga accused Nujoma of having “a true PhD in political trickery and cunning”, using Swapo to “foist” Lands Minister Hifikepunye Pohamba onto voters.”Even the media are playing together this time.We are being mentally hammered into accepting that there is no other way and actually no other choice than Sam’s choice for a successor.””I call on the nation to go for progress and not for stagnation.Go for the future, not for the past.”The CoD leader described Nujoma’s personal attacks on him three weeks ago as “despicable” when the President used crude language when claiming that Ulenga was a homosexual.”I have long liberated myself personally from your yoke,” Ulenga said to Nujoma.”I do not depend on you for a job, not even in your so-called ‘mighty, mighty’ Swapo party.My vision is, as you should see if you were not so politically blind in one eye, to provide a viable, progressive government when Swapo self-destructs.”Ulenga said he would not react to the allegation about homosexuality because “… that is so truly irrelevant as to be absurd to discuss on a political platform”.The CoD’s NEC, the party’s second highest decision-making body, was meeting to prepare for the upcoming national and regional elections.He also reacted to President Nujoma’s personal attacks against him.”This time we shall take no prisoners,” Ulenga rounded off his speech that had started with the declaration that the CoD’s “political opponents are shaken” by the party’s performance in the local authority elections last month.He said Namibians had for the past 14 years been tricked and “bamboozled” into electing “false leaders” who had failed to deliver on visions of the… biblical promised land”.The opposition party leader said Swapo had “destroyed the education system” that they were taking Namibia “…. backward into something worse than a banana republic”.The expropriation of land that Swapo had undertaken would lead to economic and social destruction.The ruling party’s policies, said Ulenga, would cause economic uncertainty, stagnation and “back-sliding” and they had already led to “squatter towns, which Government graciously calls informal settlements”.Ulenga accused Nujoma of having “a true PhD in political trickery and cunning”, using Swapo to “foist” Lands Minister Hifikepunye Pohamba onto voters.”Even the media are playing together this time.We are being mentally hammered into accepting that there is no other way and actually no other choice than Sam’s choice for a successor.””I call on the nation to go for progress and not for stagnation.Go for the future, not for the past.”The CoD leader described Nujoma’s personal attacks on him three weeks ago as “despicable” when the President used crude language when claiming that Ulenga was a homosexual.”I have long liberated myself personally from your yoke,” Ulenga said to Nujoma.”I do not depend on you for a job, not even in your so-called ‘mighty, mighty’ Swapo party.My vision is, as you should see if you were not so politically blind in one eye, to provide a viable, progressive government when Swapo self-destructs.”Ulenga said he would not react to the allegation about homosexuality because “… that is so truly irrelevant as to be absurd to discuss on a political platform”.The CoD’s NEC, the party’s second highest decision-making body, was meeting to prepare for the upcoming national and regional elections.