Ulenga charges biased reporting of ‘dirty tricks’ in Swapo campaigns

CONGRESS of Democrats (CoD) leader Ben Ulenga has charged that media reporting on dirty tricks in political campaigning had been selective.

Ulenga said he was surprised by overly sympathetic media reports and condemnation of attacks against former Foreign Affairs Minister Hidipo Hamutenya in the run-up to the weekend’s extraordinary congress. The press, he said, was largely muted when Swapo used smear campaigns and dirty tricks against other parties.Hamutenya was sacked from Government on Monday last week ahead of the Swapo congress.Hamutenya also disclosed that a smear campaign suggesting that he was involved in gun-running had been launched with security forces being ordered to search trucks in Kavango and the former Owambo.While condemning the use of “fabrications” and “dirty tricks” in political campaigns, Ulenga said: “Why should dirty tricks be so bad when applied to people within Swapo but not to people outside the ruling party.”Hidipo [Hamutenya] himself has been guilty of lying about us or keeping quiet about the so-called millions that we have supposedly got from colonialists,” he claimed.”I don’t think dirty tricks should be part of politics at all.People should take the opportunity to expose what they believe as weak points.But it should not be fabrications,” said Ulenga.President Sam Nujoma, addressing a meeting in Oshiwambo at Okatana near Oshakati last week, accused Ulenga, at length, of being a homosexual.Ulenga said he was unhappy that his response to the President’s attacks was reduced to “two lines” by The Namibian.Swapo had fabricated stories about Ulenga personally and the CoD since the party was formed in 1999, he said, but the media had not come out strongly to oppose that.The press, he said, was largely muted when Swapo used smear campaigns and dirty tricks against other parties.Hamutenya was sacked from Government on Monday last week ahead of the Swapo congress.Hamutenya also disclosed that a smear campaign suggesting that he was involved in gun-running had been launched with security forces being ordered to search trucks in Kavango and the former Owambo.While condemning the use of “fabrications” and “dirty tricks” in political campaigns, Ulenga said: “Why should dirty tricks be so bad when applied to people within Swapo but not to people outside the ruling party.”Hidipo [Hamutenya] himself has been guilty of lying about us or keeping quiet about the so-called millions that we have supposedly got from colonialists,” he claimed.”I don’t think dirty tricks should be part of politics at all.People should take the opportunity to expose what they believe as weak points.But it should not be fabrications,” said Ulenga.President Sam Nujoma, addressing a meeting in Oshiwambo at Okatana near Oshakati last week, accused Ulenga, at length, of being a homosexual.Ulenga said he was unhappy that his response to the President’s attacks was reduced to “two lines” by The Namibian.Swapo had fabricated stories about Ulenga personally and the CoD since the party was formed in 1999, he said, but the media had not come out strongly to oppose that.