WINDHOEK - The ruling party youth wing, the Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) has called on party leaders implicated in corruption to be removed from the party’s list to parliament.
In the same vein, they demand the convicted and charged members must voluntarily remove themselves from such list.
The youth wing call follows resignations by former fisheries minister Bernhard Esau and former justice minister Sacky Shanghala from their ministerial positions after being linked to a massive corruption scandal involving an alleged kickback scheme of at least N$150 million.
Despite this, both remain on the party’s parliamentary list.
The party has at least four members including Esau and Shanghala either convicted of corruption or accused of corruption gunning for parliamentary seats in a national elections schedule for 27 November.
Others include, former education minister Katrina Hanse-Himarwa and former Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) managing director Tobie Aupindi.
Hanse-Himarwa in July this year tendered her resignation as the minister after she was convicted on a charge of corruption while Aupindi late last year paid a fine of N$50 000 after being found guilty under the Anti-Corruption Act.
“Swapo as an organisation is bigger than individuals, thus the SPYL calls on the politburo to clean up all corrupt members of the party who are in allegations of corrupt activities by advising them to appeal to their moral and ethical conscious and resign or else be recalled,” outspoken SPYL secretary for information, publicity and mobilisation Lineekela Dumeni said. Dumeni said this in a media statement issued on Saturday.
“We should jealously guard the Namibian house by protecting the image of the party and act with integrity in the interest of the party and national interest of Namibia,” he added.
Dumeni said the youth wing is fully aware that the party cannot indulge in any conversation of corruption which is based on mere allegations and that everyone is innocent until proven guilty as contemplated in Article 12 of the Namibian Constitution.
“The principle at play is that Swapo should act through the politburo and all the comrades who are alleged to be in corrupt activities, those that are due to appear in court for corrupt activities and those that has been convicted by a competent court for mere corruption must not be eligible for public office,” he stated.
The political league spokesperson said it is an ancient cardinal principle that members of the society should not involve themselves in corrupt deals.
Thus, Dumeni said the law and its institutional enforcement mechanisms within the society can spread its web to catch those who behave in manners that spread cancerous morals and breaching the moral fabric and dogma of the society as they pursue selfish ends.
Furthermore, the youth wing called on President Hage Geingob to institute a commission of inquiry into the fishing industry rocked by a major kickback scandal. On a campaign note, SPYL called on all its members to remain calm and be committed to ensure Swapo and its presidential candidate Geingob emerge victorious through a landslide in this month’s national elections.