War of words on peace breaks out in the NA

THE national and presidential elections may still be eight months away but it appears as if election campaigning is already creeping into debates in Parliament, with the opposition and ruling Swapo Party MPs at loggerheads over who deserves credit for maintaining peace in Namibia.

Swapo backbencher Loide Kasingo started her contribution to the Budget debate in the National Assembly on Thursday by claiming that ‘thanks to the Swapo-led Government we succeeded to maintain peace in Namibia’ since Independence’.’Behind this peaceful political environment are the Namibian people, the majority of whom are Swapo members, who have demonstrated a very high level of tolerance, patience, respect and reconciliation, taking into consideration the mental, physical and psychological injury and harm they have endured during the colonial war of oppression,’ Kasingo said.This irked the Secretary General of the opposition DTA, McHenry Venaani. ‘If you say that peace was only maintained by Swapo, then you tell only a half-cooked story to the nation. Don’t claim peace only for yourself (Swapo)’, Venaani told Kasingo.Deputy Justice Minister Utoni Nujoma appeared angered by Venaani’s words.’You are telling lies in this Chamber – don’t play with peace and stability, you even said recently in Parliament that (previous) elections were rigged and you implicated the former Director of the ECN (Electoral Commission of Namibia),’ Nujoma junior fired back at Venaani.The Deputy Minister was referring to an interjection Venaani made a week ago, that allegedly double the number of ballot papers were printed for a previous national election so that Swapo would win.Asked by Swapo MPs to explain, Venaani told the House that according to rumours doing the rounds, a former ECN director had apparently mentioned that. Justice Minister Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana then charged that Venaani’s ‘flippant’ remarks had to be taken seriously and that she would investigate the matter.