ON the 26th August, Namibians from all walks of life flocked to Omugulu gwEembashe to commemorate the heroism of the sons and daughters of the soil both fallen and alive, for their intrepidness and gallantry deeds that culminated in Namibian independence. I was so happy to witness it all in person. It was on this day that a monument of His Excellency Dr Sam Nujoma was unveiled. This is indeed commendable, because Cde. Nujoma was and still is a symbol of heroism for the Namibian people. He is the only Commander-in-Chief of PLAN and commanded Namibians to fight the formidable colonial regime’s army of apartheid South Africa. I would like to wish a well deserved and abundantly blessed long live to Cde. Dr. Sam Nujoma, Founding President and Father of the Namibian Nation and thank him for leading a brave liberation movement that freed our country from the yoke of colonialism.
It came as no surprise recently to hear from the architect of the infamous Nyamu Notes, Jesaya Nyamu himself, hallucinating that if the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) came to power they would destroy the monuments of our Leader of the Namibian Revolution. It is an open secret that the common denominator of RDP leaders and those who are its sympathizers in the Swapo Party (according to Nyamu himself) is their hatred for the person of H.E. Dr Sam Nujoma. The RDP and Nyamu’s hate for Nujoma is caused by nothing, but mere jealousy. Namibians, I hope by now you have realized that RDP is just a party of frustrated and jealous political elements. Failed political parties must not hijack Omugulu gwEembashe. It is a national mirror that reflects the difficult journey travelled to attain our freedom and independence.
It must remind us of the following: the right to basic services; the right to quality and affordable education, health care and housing; the right to exercise our democratic freedom through voting and right to live and enjoy the independence of Namibia. These are what motivated our people to take up arms and face the colonizers. In this regard, we should acknowledge the existence of challenges that face the nation, despite all good government interventions to ensure that it brings services closer to the people. The challenges of high unemployment, corruption, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, crimes, and home-based violence and child abuse are some, but not all the challenges facing our people. We, as a nation must work together with the government to find solutions to these challenges and to ensure that our country is developed to reach where other nations in the world are. The private sector must marry their efforts with those of the government.
The Nyamu Notes, the hibernations, the saboteurs, the marriages of convenience in opposition political parties, the anti-government sentiments and endless complaining without sponsoring solutions will not help but deny Namibia the opportunity to grow. In other words, Namibians must all equally benefit from our natural resources. After 23 years of independence, we should not export our raw materials in bulk. I once again want to use this opportunity to call for a national dialogue on the utilization of our natural resources and land redistribution. The time has come that we say bye to the ‘economical honeymoon’ all the capitalists have been enjoying before and after our independence. Our political freedom alone is hollow, hence we must ensure economic decolonization in our country.
All the deals that were signed before our independence that were and continue to exploit our resources at the expense of the locals must be revoked. We must not be apologetic in this, because we cannot have our resources and land that are only ours by virtue of being in our country while it is benefiting our former colonial masters. Bring back the land, we are now fed up, our fight was all about the land and all bestowed on or under it.
To conclude, I would like to urge all Namibians to embrace one another and to work together for a better Namibia. We should not be a divided nation, otherwise we allow ourselves to be penetrated by our former enemies that until now want to make sure that they have their hands on our resources. We must not allow our country to be a political sanctuary for the former masters to come and do their politically filthy experiments as they are doing now in North Africa and the Middle East. These must be condemned by all true Africans and I call on all true Namibians most especially young people to guard jealously the hard won independence and freedom we are enjoying today.
To our Swapo Party led government, I am proud to be part of the winning team in efforts to make sure that our Vision 2030 is not just a dream but also a reality. Our mighty Swapo Party led government must continue to be a responsible government that is interested in addressing the aspirations of the masses that voted it into power. At the same time we must be able to adopt measures that are aimed at accelerating quality service delivery. This, in my view, is the most fitting tribute we can give to all Namibians who perished during the liberation struggle to whom the date 26 August shall forever be dedicated and remembered.
• Cde. Sioni Aluta Iikela is the SPYL Secretary for Health, Population and Environment
By Sioni Iileka