Early this year the King of Damaras “Chief” Justus //Garoeb ordered his subjects to vote for Dr Hage Geingob, the SWAPO Party presidential candidate for the presidency of Namibia, in the upcoming presidential election. What the Chief forgot is that there is also the parliamentary election. This decree was met with mixed reactions, not in the least by SWAPO itself.
The SPYL had its own opinion about this decree, whereas party stalwarts such as Cde Ngarikutuke Tjiriange saw nothing wrong with same. I also see nothing wrong with this order, except that the UDF leader should have in the same vein also urged his supporters to vote for SWAPO, lest he is portrayed as a tribalist.
UDF has been dominating and running the show in Kunene South since independence. But for what exactly? Bragging rights? For the dubious record of making Kunene the only region outside of SWAPO’s reach? That residents of Kunene South are also represented in the Assembly and in the National Council?
And how many boreholes did that record drill, for example? Now, some of you will yell, “But why should we vote for SWAPO first in order to ensure development comes our way, it’s not SWAPO but government that is responsible for developing us?” and so on. SWAPO is the government. Try as you may, you can unfortunately not separate the two.
The Democrats in the USA (being in control of the Senate and the White House) are making sure they starve States under Republican governorship, and the Republicans will do exactly the same thing once voted into power.
I am not being Damara-centric here. It’s just that we residents of Kunene South must do some serious reality checking really, and I am addressing them directly. What did UDF achieve in terms of development? Or social upliftment of even the residents of Khorixas or Sesfontein? Or Sorris-Sorris for that matter? You cannot live forever on old sympathies for our parent’s sake and vote UDF out of loyalty. Life has moved on. And any supporter of CoD, RDP, APP, DTA or whatever political persuasion is welcome to resort to the media to advance the cause of their group.
I am doing this as a SWAPO member. If it’s all about the representation of residents of Kunene South, then SWAPO does have our residents lawmakers, and even cabinet ministers.
Or must they come from UDF in order for us to be proud of them?
What could be wrong to have some of us serving in Parliament and Cabinet on a SWAPO ticket?
SWAPO and us like all Namibians come a long way. I am too young to remember this history, but those in the know how will tell it like it is.
But my point is that it shouldn’t be about Dr Geingob. It is time that we face facts and see if UDF or SWAPO will represent our best interests.
While we in SWAPO are happy with the King’s decree on his subjects voting for Dr Geingob.
But you cannot like the creamy colour of your coffee and then try to separate milk from the coffee.
The creamy colour comes from a combination of coffee and milk. Dr Geingob is the coffee, but SWAPO is the milk that gives Dr Geingob the creamy colour. You can’t separate the two. Dr Geingob will represent SWAPO policies, and govern accordingly. Dr Geingob is SWAPO and SWAPO is Dr Geingob.
And Kunene residents voting for Dr Geingob without voting for SWAPO is tribalism.
There is no other name for it. Let common sense prevail. I will be voting in my home region of Sorris-Sorris on 28 November 2014, see you at the polling station near me!
Gideon Tetesman //Garoëb
Sorris-Sorris