2017-03-17Staff Report 2 There is a need to engage one another with the aim of finding common ground on the issues that appear to tear us apart, or have the potential to do so. Of late we have witnessed nothing but generational difference that has the potential of splitting the national body politik. The generational gap is fast overriding our ability to differ with one another. The political generational gap is fast overriding our ability to apply our minds to the mess we have created in a short period of time. In order to attain our independence we had to interact with our foes. Despite knowing that we had the upper hand at the sluices of Quito Canavale, we restrained ourselves with the temptation of opening those sluices, but rather elected to use the powerful tool of engagement. We had the opportunity to crush them, for we had the machineries and international friends, but for one or other reason we did not. It is a trite fact that even before formal negotiations for the independence of our country, we had informal engagements between the various opposing forces. When he ascended to the presidency, Dr Hage Geingob emphasised the need for inclusivity in the Namibian house. Inclusivity means we all need to share whatever space this house has to offer. We always had hardliners and moderates in our midst. The one reminding the other of the goals to be attained before sunset, and the other restraining the other to ensure the goals are attained in a structured manner. There is a need for the opposing sides in Swapo Party and the country to engage one another, lest we recede back into a fragmented society. Many voices are emerging from all corners of the country, Swartbooi (South) Amupanda (North), Ngurare (Northeast), Kazenambo (East), Seibeb (West), et al. Swapo only attained a two-third majority after the first election, when the different components of our society started to tolerate each other. The dissenting voices are quite widespread, to such an extent that it poses a danger to our very existence and the legacy of the current generation – if not handled properly. The dissenting voices are quite frightening, given the fact that they have nature on their side and the intellectual stamina to sustain a debate so that it poses a danger to our very existence and the legacy of the current generation, if not approached with purpose. Namibia is more important than what we perceive to be convenient at the current moment. Our collective strength is more desirable than our individual ability and status. The different classes of our society need to constantly engage one another, even behind the scene in a purposeful manner. I refuse to accept the fallacy that nothing good comes out of Africa or that our thought processes are measured by the length of our nose or hair. If we love this country, then we ought to leave the flock of 99 sheep in order to find the one which is lost, as that ancient biblical shepherd rightly did. My limited time in law taught me that no one emerges as a winner, as opposing parties goes to bed bitter. There is a need to move beyond just having this outrageous person on this side and that outrageous person on that side and rather discuss about how to work our way through tough issues, without forgetting the lesson from Aristotle that rhetoric is the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion. One hopes that the disciplinary committee appointed by the ruling party politburo will weigh all options, taking into account the distance we are still to cover as a nation. That son from the Middle East, we so much love to quote, begged His Father to forgive them but not to banish them. Conflicts, unfortunately, is a part of our existence, and what matters most is not the absence thereof but the resolution thereof, as I have learned in my personal life. We ought to work towards creating something lasting out of the current untidiness, as we are faced with more pressing issues than politics. It is our call, as the future of this nation depends on what we do today and not tomorrow or yesterday. May we develop the ability to synchronise the different unique voices into a proud Namibian choir. This is peremptory. * Joshua Razikua Kaumbi is a holder of BA Political Science degree from Unam, and and LLB from Stellenbosch University and is a practising admitted attorney. Opinions expressed herein are is own. This article is part 1 of a series. 2017-03-17Staff Report 2
