By William J Mbangula
Outapi
Swapo Vice President and Chief Whip, Dr Hage Geingob, has accused South African-based academic, Dr Joseph Diescho, of intellectual prostitution.
Geingob’s reaction against Diescho is a sequel to comments made by Diescho recently about him and the Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Theo-Ben Gurirab, questioning their stand in the Swapo Party.
Geingob, who introduced Swapo President and Head of State, Hifikepunye Pohamba, at a Swapo rally at Outapi on Saturday, urged Diescho to get his facts right before making comments about him and other leaders in the ruling party.
Said Geingob: “There is a certain professor who goes around analysing and misanalysing things who said he does not understand the position of Geingob and Gurirab in Swapo. I want to state clearly that Professor Diescho is an intellectual prostitute who should not mess with me but can go and prostitute somewhere else and not with me. I joined Swapo in my own capacity because I have accepted the principles of the party. I did not join the party because of inherited Swapo membership from anyone else.”
The former Premier also accused sections of the media of spreading wrong information about Swapo. He said some media organisations mainly the NBC, The Namibian and Estelle de Bruyn of Die Republikein have been telling the nation that Swapo is conducting public rallies because of panic following the formation of the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) led by former Swapo leader and Cabinet minister, Hidipo Hamutenya.
“We do not need permission from anyone else such as The Namibian, NBC and Die Republikein to conduct public rallies in this country. Estelle de Bruyn has been belittling Swapo activities and recycling Hidipo Hamutenya and Jesaya Nyamu speeches because she has a hidden agenda. We are conducting such rallies because there is a need to introduce the new leadership of the party elected at the just-ended congress. Shame on you media institutions spreading rumours and misinformation.”
Geingob described Pohamba as the logical successor of the Father of the Nation and Leader of the Namibian Revolution, Dr Sam Nujoma.
Delivering his keynote address, Pohamba said there are certain elements in Namibia with a malicious agenda who want to rewrite the history of the liberation struggle as well as the first years of independence. Some of these people, he said, include the Director of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), Phil Ya Nangolo.
According to the Head of State, Ya Nangolo, a former Swapo member who deserted the liberation struggle, has a personal score to settle with the Father of the Nation that borders on personal hatred.
He explained that way back in 1987, Ya Nangolo whose name is Phillemon Iipumbu concocted a story that Nujoma had physically assaulted a certain member of the then Parents Committee, the forerunner of the NSHR which staged a demonstration at the Strasbourg conference for members of the European Union Parliament and was due to be addressed by Nujoma.
Pohamba explained that despite the fact that Nujoma did not come in close contact with the protesting group, Ya Nangolo as the spokesperson of the group went ahead making such accusations both at home and abroad. The matter was investigated by the French government and found to be false.
“If he did not tell the truth then, do you think what he is saying now is the truth? This man does not represent human rights in the true sense of the word but instead is advocating the right to unfairly accuse and insult others.”