2008-03-14Staff Report 2 "Re: NSHR - a Public Nuisance I am not writing this opinion piece to make the NSHR's (National Society for Human Rights) team understand their wrongdoing because they will never change their way of thinking and judging political matters in this country. They always exaggerate and take issues out of context, at times deliberately. I am writing for the people of goodwill who are prepared to see things in a different direction. I have been following political developments in the country all these days, especially comments on NBC phone-in programmes such as Open Line and National Chat Show. What strikes me most in these developments is the manner in which NSHR's agents express themselves politically, while disguising themselves as human rights activists. Their comments are full of hatred, anger and the tone of their contributions is completely disrespectful, antagonistic and vengeful. Worse still, they personalize matters, an indication that they lack professionalism and intellectual aptitude. The way they phone in seems as if they are systematically programmed or brainwashed to stress on one point a hundred times, and they follow each other as if they are in a queue. They target and attack individual SWAPO Party leaders. An example is the matter between them and Founding President Sam Nujoma, as well as certain Cabinet ministers whom, I suspect, they fear most and would not want them to lead SWAPO Party. If one closely follows their attacks, one will clearly find that they screen and want to censor every word a SWAPO Party leader uses at public rallies. We see this type of behaviour as anti-SWAPO. This is an act of provocation and a violation of the rights and freedom of SWAPO Party members. For an NSHR team to swarm SWAPO Party rallies where they are not invited is a serious provocation. They come and listen to our songs and slogans and when they are ashamed, they feel offended and go back claiming that SWAPO Party is ""calling people names"". SWAPO Party songs and slogans are a true reflection of the current situation. No one can tell us what to say and what not to say. I know that NSHR is happy to see the division brought about by the Rally for Democracy and Progress, RDP, in SWAPO Party. They have been waiting for this moment for a long time. And who knows, maybe they are the ones who worked out this situation. That is why they are defending their baby. This is clear in their words and deeds. NSHR agents always favour RDP. Why? NSHR agents are anti-SWAPO Party by choice. The reasons for this are only known to themselves. Some of them, including Phil Ya Nangoloh,were SWAPO Party members who defected during the struggle. That is the mentality that drives them to ""punish"" SWAPO Party to the end. But SWAPO Party is not interested in punishing them. We are more interested in forgiving them, but only if they are prepared to be forgiven. NSHR makes wild and unverified allegations, especially on NBC radio. They can make a foreigner believe that there is no peace in the country, or a Namibian living in the South can believe that there is an outbreak of war in the far northern regions. That is the impression they create when they go on air. Maybe that is what they want. Their conduct is highly deceptive as they set people against one another. They are poisoning the listeners and this can lead to more divisions and conflicts among our people. NBC must stop these programmes or restructure them for other constructive purposes. These programmes have been badly abused by NSHR's agents. It seems that only NSHR is benefiting from these programmes. Why do they phone in every day? Enough is enough. This team has no respect. They mock and vilify our leaders, including President Hifikepunye Pohamba. NSHR claims that it defends human rights and the Namibian Constitution. Ya Nangoloh was in the country when the former apartheid colonial regime was brutalizing and killing our people. What contribution did Ya Nangoloh make to the liberation and independence of this country? How many people did he defend or protect from the apartheid colonial regime? He had just been here writing wrong and negative reports for his masters against SWAPO Party. It is the same trend that he follows today. It is indeed difficult for SWAPO Party to reconcile with such an element. Since when is he in favour of the Namibian Constitution? It is probably only when he personally and his team try to defend their own political skins. The comments they make are not constructive. The things they say go against the principles enshrined in the Constitution, the very document they claim to defend. The freedoms NSHR enjoys here are not seen anywhere in the world, be it in the US, Britain, for obvious security reasons. NSHR is too free in Namibia. All they have to realize and understand is the golden rule of life - that all freedoms are limited anywhere in the world. This is why we have the Ten Biblical Commandments to regulate our freedoms. ""Do as I say, not as I do."" Constitutionally speaking, the only people who can defend and protect the Constitution are those who have been sworn in to do so - the President, Cabinet ministers, judges, parliamentarians and so on. If we have such mechanisms in place, why do we need NSHR to monitor the operations of the State? Of course we know that when the government goes out of its way, the churches here are faithful and strong enough to caution or correct the situation. They can intervene when things go wrong. We do not need NSHR to confuse our people with their hidden political agenda. We don't even need them to teach our leaders what human rights are. Last but not least, for the NSHR team to continuously call for or demand that Founding President Nujoma should ""completely retire from active politics"" is a gross violation of Cde Nujoma's political rights. He alone can choose when to retire from active politics. Why do they fear him? We love and understand him. NSHR does not like him because it hates what he stands for and the independence he has brought to Namibia. Cde Nujoma, like anybody else, should enjoy his God-given rights. Cde Nujoma remains a SWAPO Party leader. He might have stepped down but we regard him as one of our leaders. SWAPO Party under Cde Nujoma's leadership never wavered. We shaped the history of liberation. We shaped what we are all enjoying today- the fruits of independence and peace. To many of us, Cde Nujoma is like a prophet given to us by God to lead us to freedom and independence. And that he did. Nobody can take away that history. And we will defend him, come what may. He is our hero. If NSHR is doing things to favour RDP, let them do so openly without hiding behind human rights masks. RDP should defend itself. They created their own mess. So they must live with it. " 2008-03-14Staff Report 2
