By Catherine Sasman
WINDHOEK
Tabling the much-anticipated Veterans Bill yesterday, Minister of Veterans Affairs, Dr Ngarikutuke Tjiriange, said the piece of legislation affirms the State’s recognition of the important role veterans played in the attainment of the country’s independence and acceptance of a “special responsibility to take care of the welfare of veterans and dependents of veterans”.
Tjiriange told the National Assembly from the outset that the Bill could not cover all people and all actions that had contributed to the struggle for independence, and that some people who directly or indirectly contributed in the liberation struggle may not be included in the definition of what a “veteran” constitutes.
“[But] it does not mean that their roles are not recognised,” Tjiriange said.
The Bill defines what a “veteran” is, and makes provision for the establishment of a Veterans Fund from which financial assistance will be provided to veterans and their dependents, and to assist these groups of people to engage in economic projects.
“The most basic dimension of the Bill is the promotion of living standards of veterans and helping them to lead a normal life,” Tjiriange had said to New Era.
During an interview, Tjiriange said that he expects no “political hullabaloo” around the content of the Bill, arguing that it is merely an “enabling legislation”.
“I do not see any controversy around this Bill,” the Minister said, denying that the State has been put under political pressure from the demonstrations and demands put forward by the Committee for the Welfare of War Veterans who had been at loggerheads with the SWAPO Party and the State, demanding rich pickings for their contribution to the liberation struggle.
Tjiriange was also adamant that the definition of a veteran, and not a “war” veteran, would apply to “deserving veterans”.
“Not everyone in Namibia is a veteran,” the Minister said hours before tabling the Bill.
“Not anyone outside [those who have gone into exile during the liberation struggle] was a veteran. But people wanted to take advantage of the grey areas that existed and to pressurise things to be done hastily, hoping to zero in and benefit. We cannot do things haphazardly,” said Tjiriange.
He said once legislation is in place and the beneficiaries identified, proper areas of beneficiation would be thrashed out.
The Bill defines a “veteran” as a member of the liberation forces; a person who consistently and persistently participated or engaged in any political, diplomatic or underground activity in the furtherance of the liberation struggle; and a person who, owing to his or her participation in the liberation struggle, was convicted – whether in Namibia or elsewhere – for any offence closely connected to the liberation struggle and sentenced to imprisonment.
During the interview with New Era Tjiriange insisted that this definition does not exclude people who have fought in the contemporary liberation struggle outside the ambit of SWAPO.
“The person would just have to meet the criteria, no matter which political party he or she belonged to. It should not been seen only within the framework of SWAPO,” he said.
He added that the “veteran” definition recognises the “importance and unquestionable roles” armed as well as un-armed people played during the diverse stages and places of the protracted struggle.
“The definition focuses on the salient fact that persons who qualify as veterans are those who played a role in the liberation struggle,” he said.
The Bill further makes provision for the registration of veterans and their dependents, and while Tjiriange could not give an exact number of the veterans, he did hint at between 40 000 and 50 000.
He said this would require additional staff in the Ministry of Veterans Affairs.
Another provision of the Bill is the determination of accrual pension benefits a veteran who joined the employment or service of any public body should be credited for the number of years he or she actively spent participating in the liberation struggle.
Tjiriange also told New Era that the Bill was not modelled after any other similar legislative arrangements for former liberation activists, but that careful studies had been done on the legislative responses of Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Algeria, Vietnam and South Africa.
Consultations in the drawing up of the Bill took place with the Defence Ministry and the Ministry of Safety and Security.
“We are serious about what we are doing and we want the Bill to go through Parliament very fast and very soon to start delivering,” Tjiriange told New Era.
“The more we delay, the more people get irritated, so I urge parliamentarians to take the Bill seriously.”
Parliamentary discussion of the Bill was postponed until next week Thursday.