2016-07-08Staff Report 2 Over the last three years, we – the Swapo Party Regional Coordinators from all the 14 regions of our Republic – have followed with keen interest some elements of our society behaving in an unbecoming manner. Recently, we have learned with shock and dismay about the unwarranted, uncalled-for attack on our mighty Swapo Party and its leadership, particularly, attacks mounted against His Excellency Cde President Hage G. Geingob. Such divide-and-rule actions were aimed at sowing confusion and causing division, mistrust and distrust, but above all, disunity in Swapo Party and its rank-and-file members. Now, therefore, we have come together since Tuesday this week to thoroughly deliberate on these matters and map out ways to mitigate, refute the false claims and repel such attacks. It has, therefore, become imperative to explain some conditions precedent to every Namibian who voluntarily wants to become and continue to be a Swapo Party member. Every Namibian, who has reached the age of 18 and accepts the aims and objective of the Swapo Party, is eligible to become a member. A member has rights and obligations she or he must enjoy and comply with to continue to be a member. Members of the party have rights to demand compliance with the provision of the constitution, as well as implementation of resolutions, decisions, directives and agreement of the party. He or she has the right to participate in meetings of the party, subject to laid-down procedures, to elect and be elected, to freely express his or her opinion in such meetings without fear or favour and to participate in the adoption of the decisions. In the same light a member has obligations to comply with. Among others, a member has to be of exemplary conduct in a spirit of comradeship towards other members of the party; to contribute to the strengthening of the organic unity of the party and to the political consciousness of its rank-and-file; to oppose factionalism and defend the party and to be sincere and honest. And ultimately to protect the party’s secret. The foregoing are non-negotiable tenets of our being Swapo Party members, to obey and respect. They do not leave room for dialogue. If you don’t like them, at most you can table an amendment as provided for in the existing procedures, or you quit. It has become common for some individual claiming to be “superior and highly educated” to seek to be exempted from the very foundation of what holds us together. Such provision is not catered for in the Swapo Party constitution. These elements go around renting crowds from political rejects and canon-fodder of yesteryear to claim a resounding success. We urge all loyal Swapo Party members to get out of AR. Everything that this group has been doing is contrary to the aims and objectives, as well as policy position of our mighty Swapo Party. Their actions have been against the spirit of comradeship and unity of the party. No self-respecting party can have another party within. It does not happen within political parties, it does not happen in the church or mosque, neither in private companies. AR is not a structure of Swapo Party. It has its own separate agenda and programme. Therefore, we call upon all Swapo members to distance themselves from AR. Any Swapo member with self-respect will do the most honourable and noble thing, that is, to quit before she/he is shown the door. We are not opportunist. We have never acted that way. We cannot remain silent to buy favour with anyone attacking Swapo Party, its leadership and rank-and-file membership. Experience teaches us the so-called ‘Colour Revolutions’ have succeeded in destroying the once prosperous North-Africa (such as Lybia), Syria, Ukraine etc., because opportunistic leaders assumed they will be spared by the anarchists and their NATO backers, but alas they can only watch as their centuries-old civilisations go up in flames. In our vocabulary the word surrender does not exist. 2016-07-08Staff Report 2
