By Catherine Sasman
WINDHOEK
Well-known Namibian politician and erstwhile Bantu Affairs Commissioner, Jan de Wet, has implored Phil ya Nangoloh to drop the International Criminal Court (ICC) challenge for the sake of peace and democracy in Namibia.
“We must forget the past. We were enemies and shooting at each other. Now, we are all Namibian citizens, we are all patriots,” said De Wet.
“I don’t know what is behind the ICC challenge,” continued De Wet, adding: “I don’t know who raised this. Is this to disrupt stability? We have agreed to forget the past.”
De Wet was the Commissioner General of Indigenous People of the second tier authorities from 1970 to 1978. He was also a Member of the South African Parliament from 1964 to 1970.
“I was a South African citizen and executed the policy of the South African government,” said De Wet.
After returning to Namibia from South Africa, De Wet joined “white politics” and became the leader of Action Christian National (ACN).
During his time in the South African government, he was to meet SWAPO delegates in Geneva at a meeting arranged by the apartheid South African government.
“But nothing came of it. In the meantime, terrorists came to Walvis Bay. South Africa was at war with SWAPO; we were shooting at each other. I was led into an ambush. My pickup was shot at 14 times,” De Wet remembered.
And then the independence process started, and this prompted him to return to Namibia.
“With the development of independence I came back to white politics in Namibia,” said De Wet.
He formed part of the Legislative Assembly, which had the task of drawing up Namibia’s constitution under the chairmanship of Hage Geingob.
“The agreement was to forget the past. We had decided to deal with the future. We have come to terms with the constitution through a consensus,” said De Wet.
“Sam Nujoma and his party [the SWAPO Party] made it possible for me to become a Namibian citizen and because of his leadership reconciliation took place. All so-called enemies of the time became Namibian citizens.
“We attached ourselves to the constitution, and as true Namibian citizens, we decided that we would go ahead. I could go ahead and do what I wanted to do. I never considered leaving this country.
“I decided to make my contribution and address poverty and promote democracy. Namibia has succeeded in that. It is the most stable country in Africa.”
According to De Wet, the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) ICC challenge is an attempt to “destabilize” the country.
“We cannot afford this country to become destabilized. We should stick to the agreement [the constitution] and move forward. We must stand together. There is no need to oppress each other.”
In the meantime, the University of Namibia (Unam) Student Representative Council said the NSHR challenge “cannot be regarded as healthy in determining the future social and political stability” of the country.
“Namibia as a self-loving country has for itself a remarkable constitution and over-arching national policy of reconciliation which governs the conduct of all in the modern Namibia,” said the Unam SRC president, Fellimon Wise Immanuel.
“In all fairness, we students at the University of Namibia, wish to lodge our gravest discontent against the submission of the NSHR to ICC, for it is morally disturbing, based on selective morality and is propelled by an ill-conceived personal vendetta,” Immanuel said, handing over a petition to Prime Minister Nahas Angula last week.