Placido Hilukilwa
THERE is no danger of war breaking out in Namibia despite the reckless statements made randomly by some supporters of political parties as the nation prepares for general elections.
Inspector General of the Namibian Police, Lieutenant-General Joseph Shikongo, is, however, exhorting leaders and followers of political parties to guard against making inflammatory statements and threats of war.
The top cop’s exhortation comes shortly after the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) suspended one of its members, a certain Kefas Vernandu, accusing him of stating that the party could easily acquire weapons of war to remove the Swapo Party from power.
Shikongo said that he engaged the leadership of the IPC after the utterances came to his attention.
In response, the IPC suspended Vernandu, whose membership in the party was barely a week old. He was given 48 hours to submit in writing why his membership should not be terminated permanently.
Shikongo said that the police are also in the process of identifying another person who threatened to start an armed rebellion should the Swapo Party win this year’s elections.
According to him, the law enforcement agency has, of late, added various statements amounting to incitement of political violence and threats of war. He said that when such statements come to their attention, they assess the matter and trace the source.
He said that in most cases, such utterances emanate from people who speak recklessly but who cannot explain themselves and who are fear-stricken when approached by the police and asked to explain themselves.
