2015-04-14Staff Report 2 WINDHOEK - A 2013 proposal by DTA of Namibia president McHenry Venaani to confer the party’s stalwart Katuutire Kaura with honorary chairmanship status has been shelved. Venaani made the proposal at the party’s elective congress almost two years ago, when he defeated Kaura during the party’s internal elections to become the party’s president. Speaking to New Era recently Venaani could not provide clear details regarding the proposal, which he made at the time. “That proposal has been debated and we are still debating it. It has to move into stages of constitutional amendment,” Venaani said. Venaani however partly hinted that Kaura might not be granted honorary status because “he is at a crossroads with the party on several issues. I will present my case to the central committee, which will then decide if they want him to be honorary chairman or not. If he does not want to take it is his problem.” Kaura, who served as DTA president for more than a decade, yesterday however seemed unbothered whether the party confers him honorary chairmanship or not, saying: “I am peacefully retired and I do not have any input on that matter.” According to Kaura “that proposal was just talk and never implemented.” “Those in the leadership have the prerogative to decide upon that. I do not have any position in the party, whether I am invited to attend anything of the party that is their choice,” said Kaura who retired when his term in the National Assembly ended last month. Kaura’s relationship with the DTA has been rocky since he lost his position as party president in 2013. Venaani and Kaura vowed to put their differences aside after the congress, but the close relationship which saw Kaura playing a significant role in Venaani’s political emergence could not be revived. Last year he was booted out of the party and recalled from the National Assembly when the party’s leadership found him guilty of insubordination, incitement, factionalism, promoting divisiveness and bringing the party into disrepute. But days after chucking him out of the party, the DTA bigwigs reversed their decision to boot Kaura from the party. The party was particularly not happy that Kaura would often not report to the party as to what was transpiring in parliament – despite him being there on a DTA ticket. In response to that unhappiness, Kaura told New Era at the time: “I do not report to any individual, I report to the 25 000 people who voted for the party. The television, radio and newspapers are there, anyone who watches television or read papers will know what I am all about, I do not need to run to people to report what is happening in parliament.” 2015-04-14Staff Report 2
