Swapo Party constitution gave rights to its members to express themselves and articulate their opinions in the interests of betterment of the party and membership. Admittedly so, as a bona fide member of Swapo Party, I am not only shocked by the revelations of what has become infamously known as Fishrot, but I am also abashed and mortified to the spinal cord to say the least. Namibia has never seen a well-orchestrated corruption and looting like this.
The leadership of the country is collectively responsible for what have happened even though there are some instances where individuals have to take the blame.
As per media reports, the saga involves some Cabinet members and leaders of the Swapo Party.
As I postulated earlier, it is my considered opinion that leadership must own up to the mess in the fishing industry because they have been watching how the industry was swirling and looted with folded hands.
I am not sure whether they allowed this because they were part of eating or they were afraid of facing each other. What must be clear is that the arrogance of the players in the Fishrot speaks volumes. In addition, the Cabinet and parliament allowed through the amendment, which gave absolute power to the minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources. After the amendment was done, Fishrot reached a climax as fish quotas were then moved at the whims and wishes of the minister. The leaders who are involved are members of the Politburo, and Central Committee of the Swapo Party. Their actions put the party in a mendacious and perilous position. From a scientific perspective, the image of Swapo has gone below the threshold of potential concerns, and there is thin potential of return. Only if the leadership acts swiftly then the little pieces left for the party will be converged. My due, the party is already struggling because of division after the 2017 congress. But which leadership is it that will solve the problem is an open ended question that warrants further pondering by the rank and file of Swapo, especially by veterans of the liberation struggle.
The party therefore needs to do soul searching. In doing so, our leaders must humble themselves in owning up to the corruption and looting of our resources by themselves. All the people involved in Fishrot must resign, no matter what positions they have. Actually, if this saga could have happened in Europe, you would see how people voluntarily stepping down. These will save the party from a complete collapse. As indicated above, I think former leaders and veterans of the struggle must come to the party’s rescue.
There is absence of wisdom here. The Namibian people are subjected to arrogance and condescension. Hence, the veterans and founders of the party must re-orientate the party. I was expecting Swapo Party Youth League to be at the forefront of extinguishing the fire that is burning the party’s splendour of glory. However, the structure of SPYL is long dead and the national leadership seems interested in occupying political positions at the mercy of the elders. This is the reason why they wait to hear what senior leaders of party’s positions in issues are, then you will hear them barking thunderously.
When you have the engine weak, which SPYL is, then the party has no buffer or boaster.
On the final analysis, I must highlight that Swapo Party as a brand name face the probability of extinction if not handled with care. The Fishrot is a deadly pathogen that has a capacity of killing the party.
It is therefore up to the leadership to build or destroy the party. In the end of it all, their actions are of supreme importance to the survival of this organization that was so loved by many Namibians. To be or not to be is the question.