By Kuvee Kangueehi
WINDHOEK
Swapo Party Deputy Secretary General John Pandeni says elders have an important role to play and important functions to fulfill as the country strives towards building a nation.
Pandeni made the remarks yesterday when he delivered a message from the party president Sam Nujoma at the official opening of the Swapo Party Elders Council (SPEC) 4th Ordinary Congress in the capital.
Pandeni said the elders should continue to provide the necessary advice and guidance in search of solutions and implementation of policies that can have tangible impacts on the lives of Namibians.
He said they should make their contribution to the process of governance and nation-building because elders are reservoirs of knowledge and wisdom in any society.
“This implies that elders should serve as a transmission belt for cultural norms, values and traditions that can help us to mould a stronger society.”
The Deputy Secretary General expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the SPEC for its ongoing work aimed at complementing government programmes to accelerate the socio-economic development of the country.
He noted that he was impressed by the numerous educational resolutions which were adopted by the SPEC in which they recommended the transfer of the pre-primary education phase from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare to the Ministry of Education, a recommendation Cabinet endorsed last year.
Pandeni also expressed concern about the ongoing violence committed against women and children in the country.
“These senseless acts of violence deprive the weak and vulnerable members of our society from enjoying their fundamental human rights and freedoms as guaranteed in our constitution.”
He called on all Namibians to unite and root out violence by providing assistance to law-enforcement agencies so that those who commit crime face the full force of the law.
The deputy SG said that recent statistics indicate that most of the violence committed against vulnerable members of the society can be attributed to the abuse of alcohol and drugs.
He said this was a disturbing sign of creeping moral decay among some members of the society, who have lost their cultural and traditional values of compassion and respect for themselves and for humankind.
Pandeni warned that the nation would face a bleak future if the youth, who are the leaders of tomorrow, engage in destructive behavior such as drunkenness, laziness and other anti-social vices, which can destroy their lives and their future.
Nujoma, who was scheduled to open the congress, could not make it because of a death in his family. The congress, which started yesterday, is scheduled to end tomorrow.
The opening ceremony was rather a low key event compared to that of the other wings of the party and except for the delegates, few other party members attended the opening.
The congress will deliberate on a number of issues over the next three days and will end with the election of a new leadership.