By Catherine Sasman
WINDHOEK
The SWAPO Khomas Regional Conference has unanimously nominated Sam Nujoma as candidate for the position of party president at the forthcoming SWAPO Party Congress, anticipated to take place in November.
The regional committee made the statement publicly, despite a clear directive by the SWAPO Secretary General, Dr Ngatjirituke Tjiriange, to regional party structures not to pronounce themselves on their presidential nominations.
“We are not sidelining the secretary general’s directive but we must pronounce the aspirations of the grassroots,” said newly elected Khomas Regional Coordinator of the Party, Michael Mwinga.
“The SG is under the people and the people must instruct party organs to report on decisions made unless the Politburo or Congress decides otherwise,” said Mwinga when pressed for an answer.
He also said that by making the announcement, the region did not intend to influence other regions to follow suit.
“This is about the Khomas Region; we don’t set trends for other regions,” he said tersely.
When approached, Tjiriange said the directive in actual fact came from the “collective wisdom of the Politburo” and that he merely communicated this to the party structures.
He would, however, not say if there would be any repercussions, saying that since he was out of Windhoek, he had not yet been officially informed of the Khomas recommendations. Other members elected to the executive committee for the region during the Saturday conference were Gerson Kamatuka (Regional Treasurer) and Raphael Mbala (Information and Mobilisation Coordinator).
Additional members were elected who will represent the region at the upcoming congress. They were Selma Nghinaunye, Gyorgy Trepper, Abisai Angula, Agatha Iiyambo, Esther Shikongo, Boas Ekandjo, Karin Hishidimbwa, Agnes Tjongarero and John //Khamuseb.
The regional conference has also urged the Namibian Government to state its position vis-??????’??