An appeal for tolerance and respect in Namibian politics
THE by-elections at Omuthiya and Tobias Hainyeko are now over. Luckily, not a single soul was lost during the elections, although it sometimes seemed that we were close to that, because of the speeches of some of our political leaders directed at the leaders and members of a new political party. The volatile events leading up to the elections concerned me and spurred many people to approach me to ask me, “What is going on in the Land of the Brave?”
This caused me to look back at where we have come from and where are we going as a nation. During the first phase of our struggle, so many thousands of our compatriots fought and sacrificed their lives to put an end to the colonial system of oppression, bigotry, hatred and violence that plagued our land. Others spent many years in prison.
Our vision was to establish an independent and democratic Namibia in which all her inhabitants could live in peace and prosperity. Our oppressor, the apartheid South African regime, tried to demonize us in the eyes of the world as terrorists, but we won the bitter struggle and reached our goal of independence because our cause was just.
Newly-independent Namibia gained respect internationally for adopting a policy of national reconciliation as the cornerstone for a peaceful and stable democracy. Today we have reconciled and we even wine and dine with those who for years prevented our independence. Our constitution is a model and inspiration for many countries that have moved toward democracy, for it embodies values that are just and humane.
More recently, we gained international recognition for the smooth transition from the Founding President to the second President after a robust political campaign and democratic elections. In this respect, Namibia has set a shining example for the rest of the world. Since independence, our leaders have struggled to develop the nation for the benefit of the people, but the struggle is a difficult one that requires the utmost co-ordination, co-operation and unity of purpose among our people.
The achievement of the goal of a developed and prosperous nation embodied in Vision 2030 also requires a national ethic of honesty and hard work and a continued harmonious and stable environment. We will not succeed if we create an atmosphere of suspicion and intolerance.
In every national election since Independence, and indeed, in the recent local elections, our people have registered their confidence in SWAPO, to which I have devoted the past 50 years of my life, to lead them in the pursuit of our national goals. This places a great responsibility on our current political leaders at all levels to exercise their power and to use their positions wisely and for the benefit of the people.
I appeal to my comrades, our leaders, to keep in mind that those who hold power have been chosen to lead the whole nation - friends and foes, snakes and lions. When you took office, you made an oath to defend the Namibian Constitution, which is the foundation of our democracy. The Constitution guarantees “Freedom of Association”.
This includes the right to form and join organizations and associations, including trade unions and political parties. This is the right of all Namibians. It is the responsibility of leaders to ensure that those who exercise their rights to form political parties may do so in an atmosphere of tolerance and respect. You as leaders are supposed to set an example for ordinary Namibians in their daily lives and utterances.
You should discourage the efforts to demonize our opponents, as our enemy tried to do in the past to our organization. You should refrain from vitriolic and personal attacks on opponents that could poison the minds of our young people to hate fellow Namibians or to commit acts of violence because of political differences.
The fact that a friend is no longer satisfied with SWAPO’s policies and chooses to associate with another party does not make him or her an enemy, but rather a political opponent. In my opinion, those who left SWAPO have become our political opponents, but they remain our brothers and sisters, nephews and nieces and social friends.
We are living in new times that require new ways of conducting political struggle. The formation of new parties and the exchange of differing opinions in the political arena is a normal occurrence in the life of a democracy. The flourishing of new ideas can only contribute to the vitality and development of our nation.
The present should be a battle of ideas and not of swords, and the battle should be conducted with respect for our fellow human beings. I appeal to our leaders to exercise the power entrusted to them with political maturity and to remain true to the values and ideals that we fought for. Namibia is a peaceful country with peaceful people. Please, let’s keep it that way. This will ensure the continuing progress and success of our beloved Land of the Brave.
Andimba Toivo ya Toivo
19 November 2008
This caused me to look back at where we have come from and where are we going as a nation. During the first phase of our struggle, so many thousands of our compatriots fought and sacrificed their lives to put an end to the colonial system of oppression, bigotry, hatred and violence that plagued our land. Others spent many years in prison.
Our vision was to establish an independent and democratic Namibia in which all her inhabitants could live in peace and prosperity. Our oppressor, the apartheid South African regime, tried to demonize us in the eyes of the world as terrorists, but we won the bitter struggle and reached our goal of independence because our cause was just.
Newly-independent Namibia gained respect internationally for adopting a policy of national reconciliation as the cornerstone for a peaceful and stable democracy. Today we have reconciled and we even wine and dine with those who for years prevented our independence. Our constitution is a model and inspiration for many countries that have moved toward democracy, for it embodies values that are just and humane.
More recently, we gained international recognition for the smooth transition from the Founding President to the second President after a robust political campaign and democratic elections. In this respect, Namibia has set a shining example for the rest of the world. Since independence, our leaders have struggled to develop the nation for the benefit of the people, but the struggle is a difficult one that requires the utmost co-ordination, co-operation and unity of purpose among our people.
The achievement of the goal of a developed and prosperous nation embodied in Vision 2030 also requires a national ethic of honesty and hard work and a continued harmonious and stable environment. We will not succeed if we create an atmosphere of suspicion and intolerance.
In every national election since Independence, and indeed, in the recent local elections, our people have registered their confidence in SWAPO, to which I have devoted the past 50 years of my life, to lead them in the pursuit of our national goals. This places a great responsibility on our current political leaders at all levels to exercise their power and to use their positions wisely and for the benefit of the people.
I appeal to my comrades, our leaders, to keep in mind that those who hold power have been chosen to lead the whole nation - friends and foes, snakes and lions. When you took office, you made an oath to defend the Namibian Constitution, which is the foundation of our democracy. The Constitution guarantees “Freedom of Association”.
This includes the right to form and join organizations and associations, including trade unions and political parties. This is the right of all Namibians. It is the responsibility of leaders to ensure that those who exercise their rights to form political parties may do so in an atmosphere of tolerance and respect. You as leaders are supposed to set an example for ordinary Namibians in their daily lives and utterances.
You should discourage the efforts to demonize our opponents, as our enemy tried to do in the past to our organization. You should refrain from vitriolic and personal attacks on opponents that could poison the minds of our young people to hate fellow Namibians or to commit acts of violence because of political differences.
The fact that a friend is no longer satisfied with SWAPO’s policies and chooses to associate with another party does not make him or her an enemy, but rather a political opponent. In my opinion, those who left SWAPO have become our political opponents, but they remain our brothers and sisters, nephews and nieces and social friends.
We are living in new times that require new ways of conducting political struggle. The formation of new parties and the exchange of differing opinions in the political arena is a normal occurrence in the life of a democracy. The flourishing of new ideas can only contribute to the vitality and development of our nation.
The present should be a battle of ideas and not of swords, and the battle should be conducted with respect for our fellow human beings. I appeal to our leaders to exercise the power entrusted to them with political maturity and to remain true to the values and ideals that we fought for. Namibia is a peaceful country with peaceful people. Please, let’s keep it that way. This will ensure the continuing progress and success of our beloved Land of the Brave.
Andimba Toivo ya Toivo
19 November 2008
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