WINDHOEK – Under the most challenging conditions that befell our country for the past decade, President Hifikepunye Pohamba – who is out of office tomorrow – emerged as a shining light.
Pohamba is bowing out with his head held high, and reasonably so. His persona is often confined to the years of his presidency (2005-2015), with people often forgetting that he is a giant of this country’s liberation struggle.
Pohamba is a revolutionary – a word so hated by fervent believers of white supremacy during the height of his youthfulness. Pohamba’s legacy did not start a decade ago. It started in the 1950s when he, together with his like-minded peers, rebelled against the thundering paternalism of white rule.
In the face of death, he did not stumble under the weight of cowardice and fear. His never-say-die attitude and patriotism – just like his moral and intellectual integrity – were and still are beyond reproach. He is a politician and veteran of the struggle for democracy!
It was those characteristics that enabled Pohamba to give us 10 years of exceptional leadership, capped by economic growth, political tolerance and peace and stability. To the many words that have been written and spoken in his honour, we only have four to add: Thank you, Mr President!
Pohamba was not a miracle man. He had his critics, some of them very correct in their observation of his shortcomings. The bitter struggle for liberation has left its marks on him, but you have to admire how Pohamba converted himself from a guerrilla fighter to the moderate politician he is today.
The modern-day Pohamba is a model of humility. Ask any opposition politician in our country and they will testify to this. They speak in unison on what a figure of unification Pohamba was during his presidential reign. In him we had a model for humanity.
The world economy has not been in a forgiving mood during Pohamba’s reign and such impacts are evident in the sphere of our own economy. But for what was under his complete control, Pohamba excelled. Under his stewardship, Namibians defended unity, their national patrimony and the territorial integrity of their homeland. These are inevitable prerequisites of any nation striving to prosper on all fronts.
You were a president of quiet dignity, in contrast to your towering achievements, Mr President. The many roads, universal free primary education, agricultural schemes – but most importantly keeping our nation tranquil – are a rarity on this often dark continent of Africa.
It is because of leaders like Pohamba – the latest winner of the Mo Ibrahim African leadership award – that there are shining lights on the African continent today.
Like his predecessor Sam Nujoma, Pohamba is a forgiving figure. He suffered depersonalisation during many years away from his country of birth, but when he was the most powerful person in the country for 10 years, he expressed feelings of compassion for those who had caused him pain. He is a reconciliatory man.
He is a fatherly figure too. In 2013, the leadership of the Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) was on the verge of expulsion, following calls to do so by some elders in the party.
Political obituaries of SPYL leaders such as its secretary Elijah Ngurare and his close circle of lieutenants were inked, but Pohamba shelved his emotions to deal with the matter in the most sensitive of ways.
Pohamba, being the veteran politician of note that he is, knew that the confrontation between the youth and some elders in the party would destroy Swapo from within and its effects would be felt nationally, spilling over to even the other side of the political divide. After all, as the famous saying goes, if Swapo sneezes the entire nation catches the flu.
Pohamba has the capacity to transcend himself for the sake of those around him and higher causes. He was anything but egocentric, aggressive, self-serving and lacking in empathy and compassion for others.
Although he had his emotional moments when he tore into lazy officials, rather embarrassingly, Pohamba was never selfish to part with words of praise for those that excelled. Agriculture minister John Mutorwa would testify to this when, during the opening of the Swapo congress in December 2012, Pohamba singled him out as one of the ministers passing their assignments with flying colours.
As we look forward with excitement to the promising reign of incoming president Hage Geingob, we usher President Pohamba into the exit door with a deep sense of pride – and probably sadness. However, after serving this nation so diligently, Pohamba deserves a good rest.
Thank you for sharing yourself with all of us, Mr President! Thank you for your endurance and generosity.