The constitution of Namibia is founded on the values of non-tribalism and frankly speaking the former deputy minister of land reform Bernadus Swartbooi has fallen short of upholding those values.
The arrogant stance of Swartbooi just illustrates how far separated he is from the grass roots. That is not what Namibians want to hear. What he said does not abide well for unity in diversity and it’s not a very responsible way of handling political differences within the same party.
By calling a fellow minister an idiot Swartbooi missed out on a good opportunity to challenge him on solid grounds. This is showing an inability to debate, lack of diplomacy and lack of leadership.
It is not just the constitution but also the rules of parliament and how people should engage in that august house. In a society with young people who look up to their elders for good examples it is important, particularly for parliamentarians, to be very circumspect about how they speak.
It’s absolutely disappointing that in Namibia, 27 years into independence, we have this kind of conversation. Parliament really needs to reflect on how it wants to be an institution of public representation, because if this is the kind of public representation that they do then they are undermining the very values that they have sworn to uphold.
Fillemon Shikomba