Windhoek
The Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) was elected to serve on the five-member coordinating council as vice-president for the African region at the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) General Council meeting in Russia last weekend. Since the position is on a full-time basis, the representative will be based in Hungary.
New Era’s Chief Political Reporter Mathias Haufiku yesterday caught up with the youth wing’s secretary for international affairs Eddy Kafita to get his view on the ongoing squabbles about who should get the seat to represent SPYL at WFDY.
With the ruling party’s congress slated for next year, Kafita also spoke about the importance of unity within the youth league and how internal camps are destroying the ruling party from within.
Firstly, congratulations to SPYL for being elected to serve on the WFDY structures. What do you make of the debate centered on the WFDY seat?
I do not see any reason why the seat has to be the bone of contention. In my view, the attention should be centered on the position accorded to Namibia as a country at such a high platform, which subsequently gives Namibia a chance to lead the youth on behalf of Africa. Other factors brought to the fore are non-issues. For me what is important is the history we made as a country. We must see the achievement rather than the seat.
It seems you are aware that the chances of you being replaced are realistic. Can you think of anyone in the youth league who can take up the challenge?
We had a meeting in December where we deliberated on this issue and we merely highlighted the possibilities and strategies to use should we emerge victorious, which we did. The trust has always been put in me to bring this noble achievement to Namibia as per the mandate that comes with my portfolio. There are technicalities and implications for one to occupy the position in Budapest, one of them being financial implications. The party or government has to make some commitment in terms of remuneration for the eventual representative in Budapest. For me it is just fair that the person who has been leading the cause should be given first option to refuse.
Should plans to replace you succeed, will you challenge it?
I do not have a problem if they decide on someone else. Those that feel it’s right to bring someone else on board on top of someone else’s hard work can do so. I will continue working hard because I have been a committed member of this organization since birth and I have been a committed member of WFDY since I was introduced to its subject. I dedicate myself to deliver on what is required from me until my term runs out. But it will be an uphill task for the new person because that person must acquaint him/herself with the activities of WFDY. This position comes with a lot of conditions and obligations that need to be met in a short space of time. We must organize the African Regional Commission meeting, less than four months to organize the International Preparatory Committee meeting, we have less than a year to organize the youth to be part of the WFDY festival in Russia next year, all these are conditions we got from those that elected us. Nobody can be elected to an international body without first belonging to an organization, so there must be someone to take up that role; it must be someone with adequate ability and capability. It must also be someone who builds trust on the international front. It is only right that if I am to be replaced, I must be allowed to work with the new person to coach him/her.
Is this perhaps a matter of camps within SPYL fighting each other?
I am not a person that subscribes to camps, especially in the context of the party’s ideology that I was taught. I had an opportunity to sit around founders of this party such Dr Sam Nujoma but never did I hear them talking of camps. To me a camp is a temporary word that exists when people have elections, but after that the concept must be discontinued. Camps are dangerous after elections because they can impede thinking in terms of delivery.
The crusade to replace you with your NEC colleague Naftali Kambungu at WFDY is in full swing. What is your take on that?
This situation can be dangerous because we are sending out a negative message to the world. We also risk losing our seat because WFDY does not tolerate such things. As a country we must guard against this negative image because the leadership of WFDY, including members that showed trust in us, will not be happy with the manner in which we are handling this situation. Some of the reasons why we were elected are because of the party’s ideology and the role we played in the past five years when it comes to WFDY matters, those are the things that paved the way for us to be elected. We must not bring in-house technicalities to the world front but we should rather remain organized. It is just logical in the eyes of any international body that the person with more knowledge on it should continue conducting its activities. It is key to note that the activities I have been doing regarding WFDY taught me a lot, so much that it can never be taken away from me by anyone –that is one unfortunate thing for those who want to have me replaced. This scenario is the same as that of a soccer team – you deploy players according to their skills because you know who can attack and who can defend. In this context it is illogical to remove someone and put in anybody who has not proved himself to that level of competence.
How is your relationship with Nekundi and Kambungu?
We have been fine from day one and we have a good relationship. It surprises me when statements are made that are contrary to that because I cannot remember a period where we stopped talking to each other – we differ on some issues but there is no bad blood. Organization-wise we are on a good note. This is one of the reasons why I was surprised by the press release sent out by Comrade Nekundi without my input and he did not even recognize my efforts in it.
So what do you make of SPYL’s secretary Veikko Nekundi sending out a media statement announcing SPYL’s election to serve on the WFDY structures without consulting you as the head of the international affairs portfolio?
It is unfortunate that the media release was done without my input. I could have advised better and highlighted key aspects that needed to be considered after the elections. It is only right that those with deeper knowledge on the subject are given a chance to give their input.
There have been so many squabbles within SPYL in recent years. What do you attribute this to?
Well, there are SPYL members raising their views that are contrary to what is on the platform. It’s not my job to control what people say, but what I am saying is that I am for unity and I believe unity is paramount. I want to see our generation leading with unity as our guide. Of course in a democratic setup there are a lot of dynamic platforms but that does not mean we must condone division. We must strive for unity, just like those who founded Swapo. We can differ ideologically but that should not impact on our unity. We should never allow disunity to take central point in Swapo.
Tell us about the much-talked about tension brewing in the SPYL?
I will not say that there is tension, but there are individuals who feel it is right when only some people are given chances to lead. It is just right that if someone has committed himself to a course, that person should be allowed to deliver. We must guard against being leaders who only want to exist because of positions – we should be leaders during the entire term. We must perform optimally at all times and remain relevant throughout the term. We should be role models to our successors.
With so many differences in the youth league, and infighting for positions, there are many worries regarding the manner in which youth leaders are handling youth affairs. Is this how you guys plan to run the country one day?
That is a worrisome situation to some of us that are dedicated and live by the principles of the party too. Some of us only want to work hard and remain exemplary to those that will come after us and refrain from being leaders who want to grow personal interests. I should make it clear that I do not subscribe to infighting and therefore I just do what I was elected for. Those who are fighting must do it at their own peril but I am not encouraging it and I would not recommend it. I will continue preaching unity and discourage youth leaders from negative tendencies. We must respect each other as leaders of SPYL.
The party congress is slated for next yet it seems the SPYL has not recovered from the 2012 Congress. Is it ideal for SPYL to go into next year’s congress with so much internal political bickering?
Those are statements that people make, they do not hold any water as far as I know. The young people out there believe in the cause of the movement despite there being individuals out there giving the impression that we are divided. It [division] is not the right word to describe the situation but of course after the expulsion of our comrades last year, one cannot deny that there was a shake-up in SPYL because they were central members. In any other organsisation if a big change takes place it is natural for it to affect everyone in that organisation. Those of us that are still there will continue advocating for the ideology of Swapo. I told the party’s secretary general and other party leaders that there is a need for the leadership to bring some of these tensions to the fore so that they can engage us as their children and not just leave us on our own. They need to address some of these scenarios that surface sporadically, but I am confident that as an old movement we will find amicable solutions to all the negative issues affecting the youth league.