By William Mbangula OSHAKATI The Minister of War Veterans, Dr Ngarikutuke Tjiriange, has accused some government offices of distributing illegal application forms that purportedly would enable war veterans to receive compensation. The Minister said this during a meeting with Swapo leaders in the Oshana Region saying this only confuses the nation. New Era was reliably informed that some of the culprits are in the Ministry of Education. “When I was in Omusati Region, I was told that some government institutions are involved in distributing such forms. I don’t know where such abuse of government time and institutions is coming from because I did not authorize such activities. As soon as I am in Windhoek, I will confront these particular government institutions that are responsible for distributing such forms illegally. We cannot allow the Swapo government to confuse Swapo members and supporters,” he said. Tjiriange told the meeting that when he has put all the necessary structures in place, he would report back to the nation through Swapo structures and the government institutions such as the Governors offices. Sketching the background to the establishment of the Ministry of War Veterans, he pointed out that Ruusa Malulu did not create the ministry through pressure from the ex-combatants-led Committee. “Since its inception, Swapo has had the interests of the Namibian people at heart. Firstly, it was to liberate this country, and now it is to free our people from hunger and poverty. As long as there is determination, we will do it. It may not take place today or tomorrow, but it will happen. In Swapo, we don’t fail as you have seen how we have defeated one of the biggest armies on the African continent, namely: the South African colonial forces. We are scientifically moving towards the realization of the aims and objectives contained in Vision 2030.” He does not entertain suggestions that Namibians will go the same wrong way as some African nations. All what is needed is for the government to be given more time to carry out its programmers of social and economic development. Tjiriange, who is also Swapo Secretary-General, told his audience which included the Governor of Oshana Clemens Kashuupulwa, Swapo Coordinator in Oshana and Mayor of Ongwediva Erastus Uutoni, the Mayor of Oshakati Engelbert Atshipara who was the chairperson of the meeting, the local and regional councillors, among others, that Swapo leaders should not consider themselves as bosses of the people but their servants. “If you are in Swapo and the government only to be given, not to serve, I think you are in the wrong place. Among us there are those who are only demanding and do not want to give anything. One has also to ask himself/herself that if I want to be given what can I given in return. If people are prepared to also give something, they will help to bring change to the lives of our people,” he said. He encouraged the leaders not to fear criticism as long as they know what they are doing is right. Should they get distracted by criticism, they may not make progress. One typical example was the purchase of the Presidential Falcon Jet, which created a lot of noise among the opposition parties, but now some of such critics are travelling with the President on that Jet. On the issue of ex-fighters, Tjiriange noted that the government has all along been concerned about the plight of ex-combatants since independence. Due to this concern, it created certain institutions to address their plight such as SIPE, the Development Brigade Corporation (DBC) and the recruitment of such fighters in the police, army and as institutional workers in various government offices. Some were given cattle and resettled on various farms in the country, while others were given houses in their respective areas. As part of the ongoing process, Tjiriange noted, Swapo leaders once again came together to discuss the plight of ex-fighters. They agreed to send a delegation, led by himself, to South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe to find out how such countries have handled their own situations with regard to the ex-soldiers. On his return from the fact-finding mission, Tjiriange made four recommendations to the Head of State, of which the establishment of the Ministry of War Veterans was one. “After reporting to the President, I was surprised to be given the task of creating such a ministry. I accepted the task because in Swapo you don’t reject responsibilities. He gave me this task despite the fact that there was no structure or budget at all on which I could rely. It was only I alone trying to put things together without even an office from where to operate. He instructed me: ‘You created the Ministry of Justice at independence, so do it the same way’. So I went around Windhoek where I found an old building, which is still to be renovated,” Tjiriange explained. He has been working on the structure of the new ministry and has made certain recommendations to the Public Service Commission (PSC). Although the structure has been approved, he was not totally happy because he was not given what he wanted, especially with relation to the appointment of regional representatives because not all of the ex-fighters are located in Windhoek. Besides, some are sick and old and cannot be assisted from Windhoek. After dealing with the PSC, Tjiringe will this month present his budget to Parliament to enable him to recruit people and have a full-fledged ministry which can address the plight of the ex-fighters. He will again table a Bill in Parliament, which will define what is a former fighter, and for what purpose was he/she fighting. “I want to have an Act of Parliament to guide me in this matter because there are different interpretations of what is an ex-combatant. A fighter can be anyone who has the ability to fight, but the main question is for what purpose? Some believe that by joining the wrong side of the struggle can make him/her to qualify, some believe that by running away from the struggle can make them to be accepted while others believe that by fighting the enemy directly made them to qualify for assistance. Those who fought the enemy did it in different ways, such as by having a gun, assisting fighters, being imprisoned and tortured, participating in the diplomatic and political campaigns. My office will use such criteria in the Act to guide me.” Apart from having the Act of Parliament, Tjiriange elaborated that his ministry would also encourage the establishment of the association of ex-fighters through an Act of Parliament to help the ministry have a predictable link between itself and the association. In this way, he noted, the ministry would know the needs of all the ex-fighters. “Such an association would be supported and managed by the ex-fighters themselves. They will know what they want, but it should not be for us to guess what they want.”