The CoD Stalemate

ONE would have thought and expected an amicable resolution to the CoD impasse, after an agreement by all parties to an independent panels’ investigation and abiding by such findings.

It’s not surprising that after being caught off guard and the panel having found irregularities in the manner the elections were conducted that a group led by Ben Ulenga is failing to honour their own commitment. Strangely enough nor has this group indicated how, if they fail to take cognisance of the other group’s offering to resolve it through the panel, the deepening and tense situation in the party is going to be settled.Is there no faith in Ulenga, Tsudao and the rest of their companions to even submit three of their own names to serve on an interim committee to prepare for congress? Why have the report and findings of the panel to which they have agreed cause such fear that they cannot entrust responsibility to parties other than themselves to continue with their canvassing and crooked ways of conducting business.Or what is this whole fear towards honouring your own commitment all about? Holding a political party hostage, being the brainchild and belonging to Ulenga as some are interpreting it, is not good for our young democracy.We need progressive, open-minded and genuine leaders who not only can but should be able to show their leadership first in honouring an agreement that they committed themselves to.CoD as a political party is a mass political organ that belongs and accommodates any member joining it and is not the private property of certain individuals be they founders or brainstormers of such an idea.The whole concept of the party being held hostage after the crooked elections with the mission of entrenching a leadership with a leader who has failed and rather depreciated the position and performance of once an inspiring political party is blindly being accommodated.Whether we argue that it is through elections that Ulenga got the presidency (which was anyway crooked as per panel report) and cry foul for his legitimacy, I’m asking the broader public following this debacle to look at it from the overall party performance perspective.We’ve argued that the reason for these attempts were to bring change to the status quo and create an enabling environment for the CoD to reposition itself in recapturing the Namibian people to its ideals as an alternative progressive political party that can lead this nation.As a genuine leader Ulenga, who has been at the helm of the CoD through its trajectory, should have seen the negative direction the party was heading in and accommodate change for the sake of progress.Is that too much or are we serving our bellies here? Of course democracy is about the choices of the majority but when we cry foul that national elections are not free and fair it entrenches despotism within our own supposed democratic parties, and we are doing nothing but defeating the genuine cause of our existence.Ulenga has refused and rejected the panel’s findings, expelled more party colleagues than any other political party has done in Namibia, failed to resolve or propose a resolve to the impasse and expect that the Namibian nation should hold you in high esteem as an alternative leadership.Does it mean that if you lead this country those who’ll differ and challenge your legitimacy will be deported or will disappear untraced? Agapitus Hausiku Via e-mailStrangely enough nor has this group indicated how, if they fail to take cognisance of the other group’s offering to resolve it through the panel, the deepening and tense situation in the party is going to be settled.Is there no faith in Ulenga, Tsudao and the rest of their companions to even submit three of their own names to serve on an interim committee to prepare for congress? Why have the report and findings of the panel to which they have agreed cause such fear that they cannot entrust responsibility to parties other than themselves to continue with their canvassing and crooked ways of conducting business.Or what is this whole fear towards honouring your own commitment all about? Holding a political party hostage, being the brainchild and belonging to Ulenga as some are interpreting it, is not good for our young democracy.We need progressive, open-minded and genuine leaders who not only can but should be able to show their leadership first in honouring an agreement that they committed themselves to.CoD as a political party is a mass political organ that belongs and accommodates any member joining it and is not the private property of certain individuals be they founders or brainstormers of such an idea.The whole concept of the party being held hostage after the crooked elections with the mission of entrenching a leadership with a leader who has failed and rather depreciated the position and performance of once an inspiring political party is blindly being accommodated.Whether we argue that it is through elections that Ulenga got the presidency (which was anyway crooked as per panel report) and cry foul for his legitimacy, I’m asking the broader public following this debacle to look at it from the overall party performance perspective.We’ve argued that the reason for these attempts were to bring change to the status quo and create an enabling environment for the CoD to reposition itself in recapturing the Namibian people to its ideals as an alternative progressive political party that can lead this nation.As a genuine leader Ulenga, who has been at the helm of the CoD through its trajectory, should have seen the negative direction the party was heading in and accommodate change for the sake of progress.Is that too much or are we serving our bellies here? Of course democracy is about the choices of the majority but when we cry foul that national elections are not free and fair it entrenches despotism within our own supposed democratic parties, and we are doing nothing but defeating the genuine cause of our existence.Ulenga has refused and rejected the panel’s findings, expelled more party colleagues than any other political party has done in Namibia, failed to resolve or propose a resolve to the impasse and expect that the Namibian nation should hold you in high esteem as an alternative leadership.Does it mean that if you lead this country those who’ll differ and challenge your legitimacy will be deported or will disappear untraced? Agapitus Hausiku Via e-mail