At war with itself

Swapo will today announce the decisions of its extraordinary congress held over the weekend, amid attempts to heal ongoing rifts in the ruling party.
Catherine Sasman
President Hage Geingob says after positions were procedurally contested - and won - at last year's sixth ordinary Swapo congress, it is time for Team Harambee and Team Swapo to bury the hatchet and move forward in the interest of the country.

Speaking at the party's extraordinary congress over the weekend, Geingob said the party gives the impression that it is at war with itself, “Swapo against Swapo and comrade against comrade”.

“I don't believe that,” Geingob said, but shot down a request by those who have failed to clinch positions at last year's congress to have a platform availed to them for a chance to state their cases.

Geingob said the 2017 congress, as the “people's court”, had made its decision.

“[It] is easier for all to rally behind a winner if contestants, during the period of campaigning, played the ball and not the player,” Geingob said.

“[I] urged all contestants to focus on the issues and not on the personalities because when one plays the ball, players accept the outcome once the game is over. They shake hands and move on. I thought we shook hands and photos are there to prove it. I thought the people's court decided.”

The failed High Court application lodged by Mirjam Shituula and Selma Namboga, in an attempt to stop the extraordinary congress from taking place, is symptomatic of the rift between the two factions and reinforces the perception that Swapo is rigging elections, Swapo Oshikoto regional coordinator Armas Amukwiyu told Nampa on the sidelines of the extraordinary congress.





Geingob in his opening address said the High Court challenge is not a sign of degeneration within Swapo, but rather democracy in action.

“In the past you could not dare to criticise Swapo publicly. That is a sign of how Swapo has changed and moved forward,” Geingob said.

However, he said the urgent court application was intended to derail the extraordinary congress.

The extraordinary congress was a continuation of the 2017 congress and sought to conclude a number of matters, including a third amendment to the party's constitution and the adoption of a report and resolutions of last year's congress.

When announcing the dates for the extraordinary congress early last month, Swapo secretary-general Sophia Shaningwa did not say if issues of succession would be dealt with.

She only said at the time this would depend on whether succession would form part of a constitutional amendment.

The Namibian reported on Friday that some of the proposals include 50/50 gender representation in elections of the top four positions of the party, and that only those who have been members of the party for a continuous 10 years would be eligible for membership to the party's central committee and politburo.

The newspaper also reported that only those with an unbroken 25-year or 30-year membership in the party would be eligible for the positions of vice-president or president.

Shaningwa said yesterday that a press briefing will be held today, where the decisions of the extraordinary congress will be announced.



A changing world

Geingob said in his opening address that the key issues to be deliberated on included the adoption of a socialist ideology “with Namibian characteristics”.

According to draft resolutions of last year's congress, Swapo would adopt a socialist ideology, which “embraces the open market principles and techniques to develop the Namibian economy”.

It was proposed that article 3 of the party's constitution be amended to read that the ideological shift was to “advance political, economic and social empowerment; to protect and sustain the environment and ecological systems and biodiversity for the livelihood of the current and future generations”, and amongst others, to empower state-owned entities to own the means of production.

Geingob emphasised that Swapo must move with the times to remain relevant in the modern world.

CATHERINE SASMAN

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Namibian Sun 2024-03-28

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