Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro
As a descendant of the survivors of genocide committed by imperial Germany against my forebears, I could not but be amazed and also perplexed by the pronouncements by His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Namibia, Dr Hage Geingob.
This is to the effect that the deeds of the Apartheid regime in Namibia were “worse” than the genocide of our forebears as reported in the media. I am finding it hard to believe and incline that His Excellency indeed may have pronounced himself as such, giving him instead the benefit of the doubt that he may have been misquoted and/or if he may have said this unconsciously.
It does not make sense that the would-be captain supreme of our demand for reparations would lapse in such absent-mindedness, making a U-turn and speaking against the very same cause that he is claiming to have been championing on our behalf as an elected President of the Republic of Namibia, thereby further eroding the little confidence and trust we may have left as descendants.
This is as if all along we have not been aware of his near indifferent double speak on the matter, including the no-care answering of questions on the matter on many occasions following the state of the nation address in the Parliament.
As much as there is not much to comment on regarding the said article in one of the local dailies in the sense that it is not substantiated other than just the use of the emotive word “worse” in an apparent comparison by the President of genocide and apartheid, with the latter ala him “worse”, this is a matter any deserving descendant cannot let is pass by.
If only to implore His Excellency to back his utterances, not only this, but it is also imperative that the Swapo Party comes clean of its foremost political principal. Many a times, there have been debates in the National Assembly pertaining to genocide with varying times motions on the matter.
Among lately that by the honourable Joseph Kauandenge for the establishment of a Genocide Memorial Museum. Such motions date back to 2006 with the groundbreaking motion by the late Paramount Chief of the Ovaherero, Dr Kuaima Riruako that has effectively put the genocide of the Ovaherero and Nama on the Namibian political agenda, thereafter even on the German political agenda.
One cannot but also recall the debate on the joint declaration (JD) last year, which to say the least ended in limbo for the issue eventually to be deposited irretrievably on the world political agenda, reaching, among others, even the United Nations as has been seen with the UN special rapporteurs, who this February wrote to both the Namibian and German governments, seeking clarity on how they have been handling the issue of genocide, apology and reparations.
Following the contributions in the National Assembly of various members on the motions and matters relating to genocide, the uneasiness, if not a total aversion to these motions by some members, has been apparent. In this regard, one cannot but think and conclude that the President’s utterances may be a blessing in disguise, completing the puzzle – this puzzle being the Swapo’s ambivalence and ambiguity.
I am reminded in this regard running into a Swapo veteran and eminent liberation icon in town when we briefly touched on this matter with him, asking what is happening.
I could not but be surprised that he posed that question to me being who he is. But I deflected it by pointing out to him that Swapo must be abreast of this matter since the negotiations on genocide and reparations between Namibia and Germany have been taking place under the watch of the government.
Not only this, but I also wanted to know if Swapo has and/or ever has had any position and/or policy with regard to genocide and reparations, which drew a blank. If there is none, then one cannot but wonder what has all along been informing, driving and directing the government on this matter.
The reported pronouncements by President Geingob, for what they may be worth, could not have been coincidental. From Paris, France, where he is said and reported to have cast aspersions on the abominableness and horrendousness of genocide of our forebears, he proceeded to New York, where he met the chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz.
Among the matters President Geingob discussed with his German counterpart is the very issue of the genocide of our forebears that he seems to have little belief in in terms of its horrendousness.
If he at all, like Germany, seems to further engage in denialism bordering on even belittling it, one, more so the descendants and their leaders, cannot otherwise but doubt the President believes it ever was committed by the forebears of his German counterpart – chancellor Scholz.
How then can he genuinely be speaking on behalf of the descendants on a matter that he does not believe in – let alone champion it?
Other than usurping it for its agenda, which is more the agenda of Germany, Namibia’s colonial master seems to continue its colonial shenanigans. Surely in the aftermath of his utterances, the President needs to purposefully redeem himself and his government in the eyes of the descendants.
Not only this but the writing has all along been on the wall since former President Hifikepunye Pohamba then entrusted him with implementing the 2006 resolution on the matter.
Thus, the word ‘usurping’ cannot be unfamiliar and/or strange to him because those descendants who then had and have been having reservations seem to be vindicated at last.