When A National Event Is Not One

ANYONE present at Windhoek’s Hosea Kutako International Airport on Sunday afternoon with the arrival of Cuban President Raul Castro could be forgiven for thinking it was a Swapo, rather than a State event.

Swapo colours dominated our national colours and it is not the first time it has happened.I have been to many national day celebrations like Heroes Day, Cassinga Day and May Day and most have always turned out to be de facto Swapo functions.I have nothing against Swapo members attending the functions or even wearing their party colours but have serious problems with those platforms being used to exclusively promote the ruling party.It is about drawing the line between State and party functions.Last Saturday, Swapo held a political rally at Arandis. Some of the people who were invited called me to complain that they had been misled. They said they were invited to ‘come and listen to the President of Namibia since he is visiting the town’.I had reported last week that the President would be visiting the coast to address a Swapo rally at Arandis and among other things to open constituency offices.What the people on the ground were told was, however, a different issue. They were invited to go and listen to the President of Namibia. Not to a Swapo rally.My problem is when anyone mixes party activities with State functions – in this case it becomes a Swapo-State.The State funds the ruling party’s political campaign, right from the President down to protocol officers in Swapo colours, but who may return to claim subsistence and travel allowances from the Government as well as utilising State resources such as transport.Last week the Ministry of Information gave a flimsy response to the Editor of The Namibian Gwen Lister’s column which also highlighted similar concerns.Their argument was that the President is ‘on duty 24 hours per day and seven days per week’ and cannot separate his ‘party political responsibilities from his official government responsibilities’.I have doubts about him being on duty 24 hours. Does it mean he can be called on his cellphone or landline by anyone, including his ministers, after, say, 19h00 and he would be available?The argument that the President addresses official developmental issues at such Swapo rallies also doesn’t hold water.Why exclusively to Swapo members and supporters if he claims to do his job as the President for all?Looking at some of the statements, it is clear that they are written at State House. For instance the statement from the Rehoboth Swapo ‘star rally’ in the local community hall was not even on a party letterhead. That clearly means it was done somewhere else and where else other than State House? Was it typed by a party functionary or someone employed under the Public Service Commission rules?All this despite Swapo getting no less than N$1 million a month through proportional State funding to political parties represented in the National Assembly while a party like MAG receives a paltry N$15 000 or so and must find other means to fund itself as the Namibian election campaign revolves increasingly around money.Thus, whether the Ministry of Information likes it or not, there is no clear line between the State and the Swapo Party when it comes to electioneering. We are dealing here with a Swapo that continues to operate on State funding and thus has a clear and unfair advantage over all opposition while the President continues to preach anti-corruption.christof@namibian.com.na