Swapo ‘No-Go’ In Ohangwena

SWAPO Party seems to be taking a hard-line, tactical approach by barring any social, economic, cultural, civil or political activities or meetings in Ohangwena Region except those arranged by its “screened” regional councillors or “authorised” Government officials.

This has become evident due to the incidences below: 1. On Friday October 19 2007, during the morning Official Announcement’s programme known as Lunganda, that is aired between 06h00 and 07h30, a female caller, Maria Shikomba, who is a Swapo Coordinator for Ohangwena Constituency and an employee in the Swapo office in the same constituency, warned in that programme, through vernacular’s Oshikwanyama language that “opena ovanhu tava ende tava shange ovanhu mOhangwena Region.Otava pula ovanhu oukalata womahoololo vo tava sheke Omupelesitende omukulu, shaa wa itavele ota ve ku shange.Inamu va itavela shaashi ota ve mu pukifa”.(It translates in English as “There are people who are registering people in Ohangwena Region.They ask for the voter’s cards and tease the former President, once you are convinced, then they register you.Don’t believe them because you will be misled”).The programme presenter, Angula Pohamba, has not dared to question that caller.2.Similarly, on October 25 2007, during the same programme, Andreas Hosea Shipanga, a Swapo Coordinator for Eenhana Constituency, announced through the said programme in his vernacular language that “mOhangwena Region omu na ovanhu tava ningi oyoongi yiheli pambelewa.Ehangano (Lopashiwana) Loufemba Womunhu ota li ningi oyoongi tali pitile kokanhu.Opena vali ovanhu tava shange ovanhu, tava pula oukalata vomahoololo.(Aanhu ovo) inava pewa epitikilo okulya kombelewa yaKansela.Hamunhu to ningi oshoongi inoo pewa epitikilo okulya kombelewa ya Kansela (“In Ohangwena Region, there are people who are holding unofficial meetings.The human rights organisation is holding meetings through the back door.There are also people registering others, asking for their voters’ cards.They were not authorised by the councillor.No meetings must be hold without that authorisation from the councillor.Meetings must not be hold without that authorisation from councillor’s office”)”.When asked by radio presenter, Ottilie Hamutenya, whether he knew why people are being registered, he claimed not to know.Why bothered if “you” have no clue of what is going on around “you” then? Better keep “your” long sleep.This situation of some biased, regional councillors in conduit with their Swapo’s political “activists” (propagandists) dictating as to who must be talked to, listened to or hold meetings with by the residents of Ohangwena, is what has kept Swapo surviving the political challenges and even winning elections with the two-third majorities because of the frightened, ignorant and misinformed society.People were being harassed to tear up any information pamphlet, without reading it, as long as it is not from Swapo.Some regional councillors are publicly heard in the said programme announcing, every morning, the colours of clothes or other identifications of officials visiting the specific regions or constituencies.We are living in an abnormal society in which the ruling party is viewed to be more important than a Government and the State.Where in the Namibian Constitution is it stated that “the constituencies shall be divided into sections, centres and branches”? Nowhere! These structures are Swapo Party’s own which are being used to manipulate the masses and isolate, discriminate and victimise the non-Swapo members.That is what the apartheid regime was doing to our people but in the end, it had completely failed.Swapo seems to be more concerned about being an opposition party in Namibia.3.It was also not surprising to hear Mr Elijah Ngurare, Secretary of Swapo Party Youth League, SPYL, in the phone-in programme, Chat Show, of October 25 2007, between 9h00-10h00, saying “the Comrades (Shikomba and Shipanga) are doing a good job (and) that is democracy”.Itaala David, Via e-mailOn Friday October 19 2007, during the morning Official Announcement’s programme known as Lunganda, that is aired between 06h00 and 07h30, a female caller, Maria Shikomba, who is a Swapo Coordinator for Ohangwena Constituency and an employee in the Swapo office in the same constituency, warned in that programme, through vernacular’s Oshikwanyama language that “opena ovanhu tava ende tava shange ovanhu mOhangwena Region.Otava pula ovanhu oukalata womahoololo vo tava sheke Omupelesitende omukulu, shaa wa itavele ota ve ku shange.Inamu va itavela shaashi ota ve mu pukifa”.(It translates in English as “There are people who are registering people in Ohangwena Region.They ask for the voter’s cards and tease the former President, once you are convinced, then they register you.Don’t believe them because you will be misled”).The programme presenter, Angula Pohamba, has not dared to question that caller.2.Similarly, on October 25 2007, during the same programme, Andreas Hosea Shipanga, a Swapo Coordinator for Eenhana Constituency, announced through the said programme in his vernacular language that “mOhangwena Region omu na ovanhu tava ningi oyoongi yiheli pambelewa.Ehangano (Lopashiwana) Loufemba Womunhu ota li ningi oyoongi tali pitile kokanhu.Opena vali ovanhu tava shange ovanhu, tava pula oukalata vomahoololo.(Aanhu ovo) inava pewa epitikilo okulya kombelewa yaKansela.Hamunhu to ningi oshoongi inoo pewa epitikilo okulya kombelewa ya Kansela (“In Ohangwena Region, there are people who are holding unofficial meetings.The human rights organisation is holding meetings through the back door.There are also people registering others, asking for their voters’ cards.They were not authorised by the councillor.No meetings must be hold without that authorisation from the councillor.Meetings must not be hold without that authorisation from councillor’s office”)”.When asked by radio presenter, Ottilie Hamutenya, whether he knew why people are being registered, he claimed not to know.Why bothered if “you” have no clue of what is going on around “you” then? Better keep “your” long sleep.This situation of some biased, regional councillors in conduit with their Swapo’s political “activists” (propagandists) dictating as to who must be talked to, listened to or hold meetings with by the residents of Ohangwena, is what has kept Swapo surviving the political challenges and even winning elections with the two-third majorities because of the frightened, ignorant and misinformed society.People were being harassed to tear up any information pamphlet, without reading it, as long as it is not from Swapo.Some regional councillors are publicly heard in the said programme announcing, every morning, the colours of clothes or other identifications of officials visiting the specific regions or constituencies.We are living in an abnormal society in which the ruling party is viewed to be more important than a Government and the State.Where in the Namibian Constitution is it stated that “the constituencies shall be divided into sections, centres and branches”? Nowhere! These structures are Swapo Party’s own which are being used to manipulate the masses and isolate, discriminate and victimise the non-Swapo members.That is what the apartheid regime was doing to our people but in the end, it had completely failed.Swapo seems to be more concerned about being an opposition party in Namibia.3.It was also not surprising to hear Mr Elijah Ngurare, Secretary of Swapo Party Youth League, SPYL, in the phone-in programme, Chat Show, of October 25 2007, between 9h00-10h00, saying “the Comrades (Shikomba and Shipanga) are doing a good job (and) that is democracy”.Itaala David, Via e-mail

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