From ganja users to President Geingob
BORRO NDUNGULA, SECRETARY GENERAL OF GUN WRITES:
A short letter to the Namibian Presidency.
Dear Mr. President Hage Geingob you asked ganja users to convince the government on cannabis benefits.
Ganja Users Namibia (GUN) and Rastafari United Front (RUF) organizations lead by Brian Jaftha and myself handed over a petition to Namibian Parliament demanding that the government amend or repeal Act 41 of 1971 which gravely violates the rights of cannabis users. Yourself as the chief custodian of the Namibian Constitution swore under oath to uphold, protect and defend the Supreme Law and faithfully to obey, execute and administer the laws of the Republic of Namibia. Furthermore, under oath you promised to ensure justice for all the citizens of Namibia.
We brought our concerns to your government's attention through the Parliament, requesting the Speaker that the obsolete Apartheid law from 1971 is in direct violation of our constitutional rights and freedoms and must be repealed. Since April up to now we are still waiting for the Parliament to respond to concerns and demands raised in our petition.
In May GUN/RUF wrote to your office seeking an audience with you over our concerns we raised in our petition but you told us your schedule is busy and referred us to the Prime Minister for consultations with her office. GUN/RUF are in the process of preparing ourselves thoroughly to meet Prime Minister Madam Sarah Kuugongelwa-Amadhila.
You asked us to convince your administration on cannabis benefits to Namibia but as long as cannabis is illegal there is no way our people can carry out any scientific, medical, commercial, cultural, religious, traditional or social research to prove that cannabis is good for Namibia because number one, cannabis is not sweets that can be sold freely but an illegal substance that gets citizens beaten up, harassed, searched, arrested by the Namibia Police and sent to prison.
Last week in Swakopmund, during your Town Hall meeting with residents of Erongo Region local cannabis activist Cheryl Green during her statement to you submitted our petition to your officials for consultation. So GUN/RUF can only hope that you will go through it thoroughly in order to protect all cannabis users from your own government that greatly violates fundamental rights and freedoms of cannabis users through an outdated Apartheid law.
Your Excellency, “presumptuous” prosecutions under discriminatory Apartheid laws were declared unconstitutional in South Africa by the courts years ago, yet here in Namibia they are still operational and are in violation of Article 12(1)(d) that states: "All persons charged with an offence shall be presumed innocent until proven guilty according to the law."
In conclusion it is not the cannabis users who should convince the Government why cannabis must be legalized, but it is the Government that should explain to cannabis users why our Government must still enforce an outdated Apartheid law in an independent Namibia that clearly and openly violates the rights and freedoms of cannabis users. Any Namibian that supports our legalization efforts can put their signature to our petition to Parliament and a make a difference.
Yours in cannabis
A short letter to the Namibian Presidency.
Dear Mr. President Hage Geingob you asked ganja users to convince the government on cannabis benefits.
Ganja Users Namibia (GUN) and Rastafari United Front (RUF) organizations lead by Brian Jaftha and myself handed over a petition to Namibian Parliament demanding that the government amend or repeal Act 41 of 1971 which gravely violates the rights of cannabis users. Yourself as the chief custodian of the Namibian Constitution swore under oath to uphold, protect and defend the Supreme Law and faithfully to obey, execute and administer the laws of the Republic of Namibia. Furthermore, under oath you promised to ensure justice for all the citizens of Namibia.
We brought our concerns to your government's attention through the Parliament, requesting the Speaker that the obsolete Apartheid law from 1971 is in direct violation of our constitutional rights and freedoms and must be repealed. Since April up to now we are still waiting for the Parliament to respond to concerns and demands raised in our petition.
In May GUN/RUF wrote to your office seeking an audience with you over our concerns we raised in our petition but you told us your schedule is busy and referred us to the Prime Minister for consultations with her office. GUN/RUF are in the process of preparing ourselves thoroughly to meet Prime Minister Madam Sarah Kuugongelwa-Amadhila.
You asked us to convince your administration on cannabis benefits to Namibia but as long as cannabis is illegal there is no way our people can carry out any scientific, medical, commercial, cultural, religious, traditional or social research to prove that cannabis is good for Namibia because number one, cannabis is not sweets that can be sold freely but an illegal substance that gets citizens beaten up, harassed, searched, arrested by the Namibia Police and sent to prison.
Last week in Swakopmund, during your Town Hall meeting with residents of Erongo Region local cannabis activist Cheryl Green during her statement to you submitted our petition to your officials for consultation. So GUN/RUF can only hope that you will go through it thoroughly in order to protect all cannabis users from your own government that greatly violates fundamental rights and freedoms of cannabis users through an outdated Apartheid law.
Your Excellency, “presumptuous” prosecutions under discriminatory Apartheid laws were declared unconstitutional in South Africa by the courts years ago, yet here in Namibia they are still operational and are in violation of Article 12(1)(d) that states: "All persons charged with an offence shall be presumed innocent until proven guilty according to the law."
In conclusion it is not the cannabis users who should convince the Government why cannabis must be legalized, but it is the Government that should explain to cannabis users why our Government must still enforce an outdated Apartheid law in an independent Namibia that clearly and openly violates the rights and freedoms of cannabis users. Any Namibian that supports our legalization efforts can put their signature to our petition to Parliament and a make a difference.
Yours in cannabis
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