Re: Reaction to your 21 February 2014 letter
We listened with utter shock and disgust as your letter, dated 21 February 2014 addressed to the Ministry of Works, Transport & Communication defending the Reiterdenkmal, was read on the eve of the official inauguration of the Memorial Museum. It was a painful moment and every Namibian was fuming with anger hearing its content. “There is no force on earth which would reverse the construction of the museum,” were the words of Honourable Cde Jerry Ekandjo, Minister of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture condemning the said letter in his introductory remarks for H.E. Dr Hifikepunye Pohamba who equally affirmed the same. We salute our government and leadership for such patriotic clarity on the matter.
On a further reflection, it is a pity to see that there are people in the legal profession who are so starved of common sense. Mr Andreas Vaatz, we are sure that you are familiar with the legal term force majeure that means “superior or overpowering force or an unexpected or uncontrollable event”. This is exactly what you are facing in agreeing to take instructions of your so-called clients Kriegsgraberfursorge, the Traditionsverband ehemaliger Schutz-ind Uberseetruppen and the Memorable Order of the Tinheads group. You are fighting the tidal wave of a determined people of a free and independent Namibia especially its offspring namely the militant and fearless Namibian youth.
Further, in so doing both you and your clients are provoking and insulting the Namibian people. There is a particular colonial arrogance with your action. We doubt that you would have agreed to represent opposition to or that you would have interfered when the Germans brought down the statues of Hitler, Lenin and the Berlin Wall? Even more insulting is the phrase in your letter to the effect “…. our clients are of the intention to do all things necessary…” A further meaning to this phrase would be “doing everything that is in the range of human powers.” This is nothing short of a declaration of war. You are therefore strongly advised to withdraw this veiled threat, failure of which we reserve the patriotic right to take unspecified actions to defend our people, leaders, country and its territorial integrity against agents provocateurs of neo-imperialists.
If your intention Mr Andreas Vaatz and your client’s is to do the above with the view of bringing chaos and instability, then the militants and activists of the SWAPO Party Youth League throughout the 14 regions of our country are herewith placed on high alert to defend our hard earned freedom and independence, to the end.
Finally, Mr Andreas Vaatz you and your clients must take further note that the militants of the SWAPO Party Youth League, especially its Honourable Members, have not forgotten how to operate the bazookas and machine-guns; they know where the trenches are and therefore if you dare touch these sacred statues, the time bomb will explode and its consequences will be too ghastly to contemplate. And therefore we call on all peace-loving Namibians, black and white, to condemn in the strongest terms these neo-colonial-racist-imperialist manoeuvres.
Sincerely Yours,
Dr Elijah Ngurare
Secretary of SWAPO Party Youth League
CC: Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication