2017-11-24Staff Report 2 Team Swapo elders and youth elites should be shown the door by the Sixth Swapo Congress for wastage of the party and nation’s valuable time and money through an embarrassingly hopeless crusade against President Geingob and his slate. They claim to protect the Swapo constitution and democracy against dictatorship, while in reality they are pursuing personal agendas, and revenge sentiments, rooted in deep-seated tribal fears. The team by lacking a solid ideological or policy stance has zero political rationale for having been created, and therefore runs a self-defeatist and out of focus campaign. Having no constructive message, it has told exaggerated untruths, and raised unnecessary social media tribal sentiments. It continued targeting the person of President Geingob, government, and unbelievably even the Swapo Party as a crisis-ridden ICU failure. Imagine the immature and irresponsible absurdity, such as that the President is planning to take the Founding Father to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the Lubango dungeons? Due to this major weakness of missing a rock-solid political premise and serious message, Team Swapo lacks coherency. For example, while Cde Jerry Ekandjo initially propagated the divisive concept of two centres of power, which definitively will destroy the unity of the party, Team Swapo recently denied its quest for two centres of power in a two-page advert. Also, Cde Ngarikutuke Tjiriange is propagating for the introduction of socialism, whereas others like Cdes Helmut Angula and Martha Namundjebo-Tilahun are calling for the revival of the current mixed economy (along neo-liberal principles). Because of such confusing messages, Team Swapo is daily witnessing defections to Team Harambee. Their support in the once erroneously considered “impregnable strongholds” have virtually been obliterated, for example, Oshana, Omusati, Ohangwena and Oshikoto. Most of the regions have given 99-100 percent delegate endorsements to Team Harambee. This is the outcome of an emotionally driven political campaign against the Swapo sitting leader by a group of people with conflicting reasons and wants. For some such as Cde Ekandjo, a humble veteran, who as claimed, initially declined to challenge President Geingob, and was all along respectful of and grateful to him, and even assuring the President accordingly, it begs the question why he suddenly changed. Equally, Cde Nahas Angula, initially vehemently rejected challenging President Geingob based on nonsensicalities and rather advocated support for him to serve two terms. As a notable Pan-Africanist, on record about the dangers of tribalism and the need for the Swapo Party and African unity, his challenge is definitively not rooted in tribalism. He had a change of heart once the President chose Cde Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and not him. Some claim Cde Angula was promised the Swapo vice-president position long ago and felt personally betrayed by being overlooked. Others say, being a man of strong moral convictions he couldn’t take what he wrongly perceived as the deliberate side-lining of the Ondonga, as the next in line for the Swapo and country presidency. Whatever speculations and plausible reasons, there are many acceptable ways of addressing problems and differences of opinion than to spite the President with whom one has no ideological or policy differences by joining those whose hedonistic value systems are principally harmful to society’s greater good. For Cde Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana, styled as the Iron Lady, her political capital from an all-time high surplus declined into deficit since for inexplicable reasons she misjudged her strengths and challenged her political mentor and long friend, Dr Geingob, in 2012. What a tragic error of judgement this has ever since been for her. Having been admirably loyally supportive to Dr Geingob as a friend, bravely through thick and thin, when it was not politically correct to do so, Cde Iivula-Ithana should rightfully have been the heir-apparent to the presidency, some posit. But, alas, impatience reflected in the wrong sense of judgment truly stole her political destination. Yet, for old-time’s sake she was forgiven and returned to the inner political circle, only to repeat the same political illogical feat again. Analysts claim that Cdes Armas, Desmond, Vaino and to a certain extent even Namundjebo-Tilahun, felt aggrieved by the stoppage and cancellation of tenders, not coming their way. According to some, what incensed the first trio more is that the President left them out for a different A-Team of policy advisors, as they were not qualified and experienced to advise on government affairs. To add insult to injury, some claimed they sought the multi-billion Angolan fuel tender, as a consolation, but the President in the national interest of all Namibians apparently denied them. Moreover, it is assumed that to their chagrin, the President started emphasising an alien mantra of transparency, accountability, zero-corruption and no one must feel left out. This friendship fall-out culminated in the infamous alliances with sworn political rivals Dr Elijah Ngurare and the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) proponents, who in 2012, vigorously supported Cdes Ekandjo and Iivula-Ithana. The trio’s immediate logic, it is claimed, is to marshal all available and like-minded political interest forces to prevent the President’s permanent ascendance to the party presidency; to recoup lost investments; and to avenge the scorned friendship, while the AR partners also avenge the 2012 humiliating defeat. The last group of radical revolutionaries, that is, Cdes Asser Ntinda, Kazenambo Kazenambo, and our distinguished academic revolutionary Dr Joseph Diescho (aka kingmaker), and others, represent the final category of those feeling they have personally invested much in the cause of the party and the Geingob presidency. They feel they have immensely lost out while the Johnny-come-latelies have entrenched themselves with the party leadership. There is a sense of betrayal, great loss, and bitterness among this group. These comrades fail to recognise the contribution of their own unresolved anger extremes and the attitude of always spoiling for a verbal fight (even where none is needed). Their recent no-holds-barred opinion pieces are examples in point towards their political comeuppance. All these groups, characterised by the common threat of a real or perceived disservice by Geingob, have now marshalled their combined energies and resources into Team Swapo to oppose him. This commentary is written entirely in my personal capacity as a private citizen. 2017-11-24Staff Report 2
