By Kuvee Kangueehi
Tallismanus
Swapo Party Chief Whip Hage Geingob has rubbished talk that party President Sam Nujoma ‘remote controls’ the country’s President Hifikepunye Pohamba.
Addressing a Swapo Party public rally on Saturday in Tallismanus, Otjombinde, Geingob said Nujoma and Pohamba are from the same party and should be talking the same politics.
The former Prime Minister said Nujoma and Pohamba have been in the same party for a very long time and fought for the same cause for decades, hence it should not be surprising that they share the same ideas.
He noted that people that are trying to create a rift between Nujoma and Pohamba are busy with a “useless exercise” because Pohamba as the Head of State is implementing the manifesto of the Swapo Party, which is headed by Nujoma.
He called on party members to continue respecting their leaders, as it is not Namibian culture to call a press conference to insult leaders.
He said Swapo is a mass-based political party which was created to fight and free Namibia, and now it has the mandate to govern Namibia and free its citizens of economic hardships.
The first Prime Minister called on party members to unite and maintain peace within the party.
“Even if you do not like me, we have to come together and work together in order to fulfill the mandate which is required from us as Swapo Party members.”
Geingob said Swapo is a big family and like in any family, there are problems but the key is to solve the problems and to know how to disagree with respect.
He said there is now a trend to provoke Swapo and its leaders in the name of freedom of speech and even to distort the history and deny people that have dedicated their lives for freedom.
“They think freedom and democracy only apply to the minority and the opposition parties and they want to tell lies alone.”
The MP said Swapo is accused of being intolerant and sensitive when it tries to defend itself or to correct the “nonsense” their critics claim.
The former Premier also assured party members that the Swapo Congress will take place despite the “prophets of doom” who have made claims that it might be similar to that of the Congress of Democrats.
Geingob, who is the chairperson of the national leaders assigned to the Omaheke Region, visited the area over the weekend and assisted with kick-starting the revitalization process of the Otjombinde district.
Geingob was accompanied by fellow parliamentarians Bernard Esau, Clara Bohitile and Dr Becky Ndjoze-Ojo.