Whether the specific group gains the upper hand in their campaign is
another question altogether, but that there is such a plan cannot be
denied with any modicum of honesty.
AND because it is so, does not mean that Swapo is ‘split’.
If one group prefers one presidential candidate and another may feel it
is time for a change, is par for the course in party politics.
Because a large section of the Democratic Party in US, who favoured
Hilary Clinton over Barack Obama and lost the fight, does not mean that
said party is divided.
Most have now rallied behind the victor regardless of their original preferences.
Let us be honest, our Head of State has been a reluctant President from the start.
It is an open secret that as former President Sam Nujoma’s chosen
successor, he was preparing for his retirement at the time and was less
than keen to take on the task.
But he was given no real choice and it was widely believed that he would be a strictly one-term President.
Swapo’s Publicity and Information Secretary Jerry Ekandjo’s press
conference this week to refute The Namibian’s article was clearly
‘politricks’ at work.
I doubt Ekandjo himself believed his own words and even his attack on this newspaper was half-hearted in the circumstances.
Tough for him, I guess, that he was landed with the task of official
denial in the notable absence of Swapo Secretary General, Pendukeni
Iivula-Ithana.
Ekandjo couldn’t enthuse enough about how much "we love President
Pohamba" and how he had "our unwavering support" and that he would be
sworn in once again as President on March 21 2010.
Hopefully his words will not come back to haunt him come that date.
Perhaps I should reiterate what has been said before.
President Pohamba is a truly nice person who has engendered much national loyalty, both in and outside the ruling party.
That he does not have Nujoma’s uncompromising and decisive leadership style is indisputable.
This newspaper also argued on many occasions for him to be given the
wherewithal (including the presidency of Swapo) to take firm grasp on
the reins of power in this country, no easy task given that he followed
in the footsteps of the man who is still seen as the embodiment of the
liberation struggle.
But many feel that he has not risen to the challenge and will never do so.
It is no surprise that this includes some within Swapo, in particular the Youth League, whatever is said to the contrary.
And this has manifested itself in a reluctance to give voice to a resolution approving of a second term in office for him.
And there is really no problem with this either.
Not all resolutions are kept, and neither is this one sacrosanct.
It can be changed if enough people in the party so desire.
I do not see it as being ‘disrespectful’ or ‘anarchic’.
This is the perception of some of the ‘old guard’ of the ruling party,
who are undoubtedly concerned about their future tenure if there is a
change in the Presidency, and perhaps it is understandable that they
want to protect their turf.
But they cannot ‘have their cake and eat it’ forever, especially
against a background of increasing clamour within the ruling party that
they are not all up to scratch and as Ministers are simply not
delivering.
As I am not a Swapo member, the decision about Pohamba’s second term is not mine to make.
But I would certainly support a demand for performance rather than jobs for life simply because old loyalties die hard.
It is a qualitative decision since the composition of Government
affects all Namibians ultimately, and not just the Swapo cadres.
And don’t we all want the best person for the job? Some clearly feel that President Pohamba is past his sell-by date.
He’s unlikely to make a resurgence a few years down the line.
And I fail to understand why Swapo cannot simply acknowledge this fact
rather than to go into blustery denial and scapegoating of this
newspaper when they know what we wrote to be true.
The most obvious solution of course, would be for President Pohamba himself to indicate he is not available for a second term.
He will be pressured by one group to go, and by another to stay, and the choice will be his.
I would venture to guess, however, that if he opts for the latter, for
whatever reason, then the anti-Pohamba lobby will then find full public
voice, and denials will no longer be possible.
In the meantime, we wait and see.
In the final analysis, I am sure we will be vindicated.Whether the
specific group gains the upper hand in their campaign is another
question altogether, but that there is such a plan cannot be denied
with any modicum of honesty.
AND because it is so, does not mean that Swapo is ‘split’.
If one group prefers one presidential candidate and another may feel it
is time for a change, is par for the course in party politics.
Because a large section of the Democratic Party in US, who favoured
Hilary Clinton over Barack Obama and lost the fight, does not mean that
said party is divided.
Most have now rallied behind the victor regardless of their original preferences.
Let us be honest, our Head of State has been a reluctant President from the start.
It is an open secret that as former President Sam Nujoma’s chosen
successor, he was preparing for his retirement at the time and was less
than keen to take on the task.
But he was given no real choice and it was widely believed that he would be a strictly one-term President.
Swapo’s Publicity and Information Secretary Jerry Ekandjo’s press
conference this week to refute The Namibian’s article was clearly
‘politricks’ at work.
I doubt Ekandjo himself believed his own words and even his attack on this newspaper was half-hearted in the circumstances.
Tough for him, I guess, that he was landed with the task of official
denial in the notable absence of Swapo Secretary General, Pendukeni
Iivula-Ithana.
Ekandjo couldn’t enthuse enough about how much "we love President
Pohamba" and how he had "our unwavering support" and that he would be
sworn in once again as President on March 21 2010.
Hopefully his words will not come back to haunt him come that date.
Perhaps I should reiterate what has been said before.
President Pohamba is a truly nice person who has engendered much national loyalty, both in and outside the ruling party.
That he does not have Nujoma’s uncompromising and decisive leadership style is indisputable.
This newspaper also argued on many occasions for him to be given the
wherewithal (including the presidency of Swapo) to take firm grasp on
the reins of power in this country, no easy task given that he followed
in the footsteps of the man who is still seen as the embodiment of the
liberation struggle.
But many feel that he has not risen to the challenge and will never do so.
It is no surprise that this includes some within Swapo, in particular the Youth League, whatever is said to the contrary.
And this has manifested itself in a reluctance to give voice to a resolution approving of a second term in office for him.
And there is really no problem with this either.
Not all resolutions are kept, and neither is this one sacrosanct.
It can be changed if enough people in the party so desire.
I do not see it as being ‘disrespectful’ or ‘anarchic’.
This is the perception of some of the ‘old guard’ of the ruling party,
who are undoubtedly concerned about their future tenure if there is a
change in the Presidency, and perhaps it is understandable that they
want to protect their turf.
But they cannot ‘have their cake and eat it’ forever, especially
against a background of increasing clamour within the ruling party that
they are not all up to scratch and as Ministers are simply not
delivering.
As I am not a Swapo member, the decision about Pohamba’s second term is not mine to make.
But I would certainly support a demand for performance rather than jobs for life simply because old loyalties die hard.
It is a qualitative decision since the composition of Government
affects all Namibians ultimately, and not just the Swapo cadres.
And don’t we all want the best person for the job? Some clearly feel that President Pohamba is past his sell-by date.
He’s unlikely to make a resurgence a few years down the line.
And I fail to understand why Swapo cannot simply acknowledge this fact
rather than to go into blustery denial and scapegoating of this
newspaper when they know what we wrote to be true.
The most obvious solution of course, would be for President Pohamba himself to indicate he is not available for a second term.
He will be pressured by one group to go, and by another to stay, and the choice will be his.
I would venture to guess, however, that if he opts for the latter, for
whatever reason, then the anti-Pohamba lobby will then find full public
voice, and denials will no longer be possible.
In the meantime, we wait and see.
In the final analysis, I am sure we will be vindicated.
GWEN LISTER
Post published in: Uncategorized