By Clemens H. Kashuupulwa
For the past 17 years, the Namibian people have lived in peace and harmony in a society that was torn apart by the apartheid-colonial system, thanks to the Namibian Policy of National Reconciliation.
However, with the advent of 2007, peace and harmony in this country is under siege as the so-called National Society for Human Rights organization [NSHR] continues to scratch scars and wounds inflicted by the apartheid-colonial wars on the Namibian people that were nearly healed, a move that deserves utter condemnation by all peaceful loving people.
The political utterances made recently by the so-called National Society for Human Rights over the “whereabouts of around 4,200 missing people under the care of SWAPO Party before independence” is in conflict with the Policy of National Reconciliation.
There are people in their thousands who also went missing in Namibia under the care of the apartheid-colonial system under the administration of the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance [DTA] between 1978 and 1989
The massacres of Namibian refugees at Cassinga in Angola, people in Oshakati’s Barclays Bank, the Oshikuku and Ondeshifilwa massacres in Omusati Region, the mass graves of former Plan combatants uncovered at Eenhana in Ohangwena Region and the case of former Plan combatants dumped in the sea by the apartheid-colonial machineries, and many other war crimes and gross human rights violations involved brutal torture and the killing of innocent Namibian people.
There are also many Namibians who died in apartheid prisons and detention camps that were not mentioned in the submission of the NSHR to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Namibia experienced horrified human rights violations in that period when the dead bodies of Plan combatants were carried at the back of South African armed vehicles and Caspir wheels and which are still fresh in many people’s minds – clear incidents in the northern central regions wherein well-known former Koevoet and SWATF members were involved.
People in the country are aware of some Namibians who are “until now members of the opposition parties in the National Assembly” who were not mentioned in the submission of the NSHR to the ICC.
The NSHR’s submission to the ICC on “the missing SWAPO Party detainees” allegedly responsible for spying for apartheid South Africa since the early 1970s when “more than 370 Plan fighters were killed on 1st April 1989 and many other fighters” disappeared and are unaccounted for, to date, is a serious allegation that may open a Pandora’s box.
Thousands of Namibians also went missing under the apartheid-colonialism system under the administration of the DTA between 1978 and 1989 and were in the mass graves at Eenhana and other places that were uncovered in 2005.
If the NSHR is really interested in opening war criminal charges on gross human rights violations in Namibia, why has its submission left out leaders inside Namibia who were at that time administering SWA/Namibia?
This in itself raises more questions than answers.
The NSHR must embrace the Policy of National Reconciliation to make it possible to live in a multi-racial democratic society where people all live and work in peace and harmony regardless of their beliefs, cultures and ethnic and political background without compromising the government policy of national reconciliation, to maintain the culture of inclusiveness in a new society that leads us towards nationhood in “a sovereign, secular, democratic and unitary state that is founded upon the principle of democracy, the rule of law and justice for all”.
The Namibian people must be mindful and consciously weigh the role of the NSHR in Namibia, an organization that some people believe stands for fundamental human rights and freedom in Namibia.
Where are we heading to as a nation with such an organization that is supposed to stand for the fundamental human rights and freedom of the new nation if it does not respect the Policy of National Reconciliation?
The nation has an obligation to embrace the policy that aims to open a new way for people to live together in peace while sharing our democratic values, attitudes, languages and knowledge that guide the nation and individuals.
Namibia’s new culture of inclusiveness and acceptance of all is guided by the policy.
Therefore, there is a need to embrace the Policy of National Reconciliation as part and parcel of the new culture in order to respect and uphold the rights of our people in our country regardless of whether they participated in the apartheid-colonial war crimes and human rights violations during the liberation war of Namibia’s independence or not.
We are now in a new society where warring political parties, leaders and individuals have an obligation to educate our children, the future leaders of this country, to live, educate and build up this country and its economy to benefit Namibian people on a sustainable basis.
Truly, scratching the scars and wounds of apartheid-colonial wars is not in the best interests of future generations and neither does it contribute anything to the social and economic development of this country; and nor does it make sense to respect the rights and freedom of people in a society that has accepted to uphold national reconciliation.
The scratching of scars and wounds of the apartheid-colonial era will only bring irreconcilable conflicts among the nation and steer the country further into political vengeance and turmoil into the evils of retribution that Namibia cannot afford after decades of losing precious lives and properties during the apartheid-colonial war.
I fail to understand the rationale behind the NSHR to scratch the scars and wounds of the past to submit what it terms the missing of Namibian detainees under SWAPO Party in exile to the ICC.
Anyway, in our democratic society like Namibia, a sick legal person that has no interest at heart to build a new nation can obviously do that but a normal legal person would rather embrace the Policy of National Reconciliation and condemn the politics of retribution in Namibia.
Advocacy of political vengeance by the NSHR against SWAPO Party revolutionary leaders, and the continuous political smear campaign against the Founding Father of this nation and SWAPO Party President, Dr Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma, will never tarnish its immortal leadership among the progressive nations and the Namibian people, because of the role he played in leading the Namibian struggle towards national independence and sovereignty.
Nujoma’s leadership has brought Namibia to the level where it is today in terms of development and economic progress.
He led by example to promote the Policy of Reconciliation in Namibia. Namibians must be mindful and conscious enough of the continuous smear campaign headed by the NSHR against Nujoma in his personal capacity that behind Nujoma there is a nation to reckon with that recognizes him as an immortal leader.
It is wrong to compromise the policy with politicking and smear campaigns against SWAPO Party leaders for reasons that are not beneficial to this nation but to the external forces who want to see Namibia in economic turmoil to meet their external policies in Africa.
At the end of the day, it is the right of the NSHR organization as a legal person to do so, but it is up to the Namibian people to judge whether such an organization that was supposed to serve the Namibian people in protecting their rights and fundamental freedoms, excels for acceptance by future generations or is doomed to the doldrums with its handpicked incumbent executive director.
It is good to strive to make Namibia a heaven of our children to live in and avoid the situation where Namibia was torn apart by apartheid- colonial dispensation.
Time will tell that the nation cannot be wrong for embracing a life imbued with tranquility, stability and peace.
The Policy of National Reconciliation has embraced all Namibians regardless of skin, race, ethnicity, political and religious beliefs and cultural background.
Namibia’s Vision 2030 is eminent.