Windhoek
President Hage Geingob was within the confines of his lawful mandate when he told deputy ministers who disagree with his administration’s direction to rather resign, the presidency said.
Geingob recently advised ministers and their deputies, who do not support or agree with his Harambee Prosperity Plan (HHP), to resign from the government – as they are “knocking him from within”.
The president also said all Swapo politicians who publicly condemn government programmes – whether in parliament or in the media – and who do not want to follow the State and party processes, should also resign from their positions.
These remarks were apparently not well received by some deputy ministers. Although some observers agree with President Geingob setting the tone for the country’s direction, others expressed concern over the manner and platform he used to communicate his frustration.
They warned Geingob not to underplay the importance of his deputy ministers in the smooth running of his administration, or his performance at next year’s Swapo elective congress.
However, press secretary in the presidency, Albertus Aochamub, justified the president’s stance as a principle of collective responsibility in Cabinet matters, quoting heavily from the Cabinet handbook. “In the conduct of the affairs of government, all members of the government are bound by the principle of collective responsibility,” Aochamub pointed out, quoting the handbook.
“This principle requires that while every member of the Cabinet is free to argue his or her point during debates in the Cabinet, once a decision has been taken every Cabinet member is absolutely responsible for and bound by the Cabinet decision, regardless of whether he or she agrees with it or not.”
It is further noted that this principle also forbids any dissenting member of Cabinet from disclosing in public that they opposed the idea when it was being discussed in the Cabinet.
According to the handbook, in the instance that a dissenting member does not wish to be associated with the decision, the only alternative open to them is to resign.
“Deputy ministers are also bound by the principle of collective responsibility, as they too participate by means of criticism and suggestions in the formulation of policy,” the handbook states.
“Once the government has decided upon its course of action, the deputy ministers, like the ministers, are required to support government action in public and in private, regardless of whether they agreed with it during the process of formulation of the policy or not. If a deputy minister is unable to support government policy, the only course open to him or her is to resign.”
The handbook further indicates that ministers and their deputies are expected to observe secrecy with respect to Cabinet discussions and other deliberations held in confidence with the president, vice president, the prime minister, and their colleagues.
Aochamub stressed that these conditions were cited during the meeting between Geingob and his 24 deputy ministers. It is his view that despite being at the meeting, the media “chose to print falsehoods on the issues raised”.
“As a government that upholds the principle of freedom of the press, a clarion call is made to adhere to the basic principles of journalistic ethics and the code of the ethics under the auspices of the Media Ombudsman.”
Recently, there have been talks that Swapo is considering reprimanding Deputy Minister of Land Reform Bernadus Swartbooi and backbencher Ida Hofmann, after they took opposing positions from that advanced by the party during recent debates in the National Assembly.
Swartbooi did not mince words when he openly disagreed with N$2 billion being used to construct a new parliament building, while Hofmann launched an arsenal of criticism at the government’s approach to the bilateral negotiations with the German government over the 1904/08 Ovaherero and Nama genocide perpetrated here by the troops of Kaizer Wilhelm II.