By Chris Jacobie
Those that are satisfied and even happy about the internal battles in the Swapo Central Committee in the contests by candidates for the Vice-presidency and Secretary-general of the Swapo Party are short-sighted and disconnected from reality.
The noise of annoying instant political scientists and dial-a-analyst is not representative of the real everyday Namibia beyond the glitter, nightlife and upmarket hotels of Windhoek. The real Namibia is a caring Namibia in spite of differences.
Everyday Namibians stand shoulder to shoulder before they trample on a higher shoulder to be on top.
When the Swapo Central Committee meets tomorrow on instruction of the President, Dr Hage Geingob, at the Parliament building, the symbolism should not be lost on this extremely important decision-making body of the ruling party.
What Swapo does or doesn’t do is not Swapo’s business alone. It’s a matter for all Namibians and for beleaguered opposition parties and populists from the far left and far right of society to believe and shout otherwise is wrong and even ignorant.
The reality is different.
Swapo won the elections in 1989, because they were trusted by 57% of a near 100% voters to rule an independent Namibia. And the common sense of Namibians did not fail them, because Dirk Mudge, a hated figure amongst his own people at the time, proposed that the Constitutional Committee use the Constitution of Swapo as foundation for the highest law of the land and as the foundation of the much-admired Constitution of Namibia.
In fact, the Namibian Constitution and the commitment of three presidents, are responsible for peace and stability like nowhere on the African continent and now not even elsewhere in the world.
Had Russia and the Ukraine had the Namibian constitution there would most likely not have been a war at all.
Since 1989 Swapo steadily increased its support in all elections to well over the two-thirds majority and to its credit, Swapo never used it, although the very same opponents of today were scaremongering about the dispossession of farms, restrictions on free speech and the media and last but not least assaulting and banning churches and the gay and lesbian community.
The last election was the result of engineered democracy, financial interests of fixers, interference in elections and the capturing of laws and senior civil servants, but Swapo still got 64% — as close as it can get — to maintaining a two-thirds majority.
When the Central Committee addresses the Ekandjo issue tomorrow at the building of the National Assembly, where Namibia’s constitution was adopted, on 9 February 1990, they will do well to remember it is not about populism, personalities and candidates, but their commitment to Namibia and its growing democracy towards nationhood.
Namibia’s democracy is distinguished not by votes, but how Namibians engage each other in the spirit of tolerance and self-sacrifice for the common good and national interest.
To win votes and elections will be meaningless if democracy is lost because of apathy and the governed staying away from the voting booth, because when belief and trust is eroded, hope eventually disappears.
Independence, peace and development must never be a casualty of peace and prosperity.
Namibians are not on the Swapo CC, but they all have the right to expect that the tolerance and unity that Namibians displayed in the most difficult times during the past 32-years is what they can expect from a party that has a special responsibility towards all people.
Leaders who don’t have the temperance to serve right, cannot be trusted that they will resist might.
