Swapo playing Russian roulette with peace and stability: CoD

THE Congress of Democrats (CoD) has called on Information Minister Joel Kaapanda to stop using State media for unfounded allegations and ‘poisoning the political climate’ in the country.

This CoD said amounts to ‘playing dangerous war games’.In a hard-hitting statement, CoD Secretary General Tsudao Gurirab condemned Minister Kaapanda’s surprise announcement on State television last Wednesday, where Kaapanda alleged that a member of the ruling Swapo party had apparently spread a rumour to some opposition parties that former President Sam Nujoma had travelled ‘secretly’ to Saudi Arabia to buy arms fitted with silencers. According to Kaapanda, the rumour further alleged that Nujoma had ‘smuggled’ the arms to Namibia and offered them to the secret service, which declined to accept them, and then to the Namibia Defence Force, which also did not want to take them. ‘Minister Kaapanda was reportedly reacting to rumours about grave matters of national security. If that propaganda purportedly came from a Swapo member, this appears to be an entirely internal Swapo squabble,’ said the CoD Secretary General.’Minister Kaapanda’s actions, however, are baffling in that he usurps the NBC television and the Government paper New Era to further spread this ‘propaganda’ which, by his own account, originates from within Swapo.’ The logical course of action for the Minister would have been to call in and confront that Swapo member on the propaganda, he said. ‘We suspect Minister Kaapanda and Swapo’s little game is a different and calculated one – to create a climate of fear and despondency based on falsehoods. The consequence of this is to poison the political climate in the country as a prelude to curbing and trampling upon the democratic rights of Namibians,’ Gurirab lashed out.’We warn that this amounts to a reckless, dangerous and irresponsible gambit on the side of Swapo. It is part of their campaign to cow the nation’s judiciary, other institutions of State and Namibians going about their ordinary work into Swapo’s quislings. ‘We challenge the ruling party to produce this Swapo member who allegedly is the source of Minister Kaapanda’s excitement and name the opposition parties who have fallen for this lowly Swapo plot. ‘Until and unless he does so we have no choice but to treat this as an irresponsible and cheap shot from Swapo – indeed playing Russian roulette,’ the CoD leader warned. ‘And given such dastardly action from Swapo our advice to the public is to be afraid. Be very afraid,’ he added.