The Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) and the Presidency reacted to a daily news article headlined “Geingob’s Long Knives Reach Regions: Goodbye”, labelling it as a “customary anti-Geingob agenda article headline”.
“The progressive SPYL with dismay woke up to yet another shocking falsified statement against our President, His Excellency Dr Hage Geingob. A national recognised anti-Geingob newspaper carried its customary anti-Geingob agenda article, headlined “Geingob’s long knives reach regions – goodbye,” said the outspoken SPYL secretary for information, publicity and mobilisation, Lineekela Dumeni
From the onset, Dumeni said the youth league wants to place it on record that no reshuffle of governors took place.
“The fact is that the terms of office of the previous governors ended; thus, from any perspective – be it practical or theoretical – no amounts of insinuations can categorise the appointment of governors as a reshuffle. In fact, the article is inaccurate, divisive and politically driven,” he said.
According to Dumeni, the article referred to those who could not be re-appointed as dismissed. “This assertion leaves one to wonder if the journalist concerned knows the semantics of the word ‘dismissal’ and how dismissal could apply in an in event when the governors’ terms of office ended.”
Moreover, he said “it is surprising how some modern era journalists are compromised, thereby compromising their ethics as clearly stipulated in the code of ethics and conduct of professional journalism.”
In this scenario, Dumeni says the journalist, who even decided to hide his/her identity, failed to seek the views of the President as required by the media and journalists code of ethics.
“That is because there is always a different side of the story,” he noted.
“SPYL once more calls upon our journalists to be professional and not to cloth themselves into the affairs of planting division and spread political propaganda,” he said.
Presidential spokesperson Alfredo Hengari said the newspaper article deliberately ignores the process of consultation, including the terms of reference for governors that the Presidency emphasised and shared with the public.
“It is entirely incorrect and a pure invention to say that President Geingob made the changes in the eight regions on the basis of political considerations, informed by political loyalties or lack thereof,” Hengari said.
Hengari said a thorough analysis of the changes clearly reveals that Geingob has excellent political friendships with the individuals affected by the changes.
“The eight individuals who were not reappointed are loyal supporters of the President and have contributed in many ways to his political campaigns and continue to maintain a cordial relationship with the President,” he said.
“President Geingob is on public record emphasising the difficulties involved in making key appointments to public office. By highlighting that publicly, the President demonstrates the multitude of considerations in making these appointments, including the need for renewal of political personnel, youth, gender, national and regional developmental dynamics,” he added.
Hengari says it is regrettable when newspapers report and analysts invent and graft inexistent considerations to appointments to foment divisions at a time when the unity of the Namibian people is crucial to fight Covid-19.
Caption (SPYL): Not amused… Lineekela Dumeni, SPYL secretary for information, publicity and mobilisation