Geingob 'wants yes-men'
The removal of the hands-on and outspoken Dr Bernard Haufiku as health minister has been questioned by political analysts.
Analysts say President Hage Geingob's stifling of dissent in government is troubling and it appears as if the president wants to be surrounded by yes-men.
Geingob yesterday said some ministers forget that they took an oath not to divulge anything discussed in cabinet meetings.
He said this when he appointed Dr Kalumbi Shangula as the new health minster to replace Dr Bernard Haufiku.
Haufiku has now been appointed as special advisor on health and social services in the office of the vice-president.
Haufiku and Geingob had clashed a number of times and at one point Geingob called Haufiku to order for interfering with a government decision regarding the site of a new referral hospital in the north.
“This hospital saga apparently created bad blood between the two and Haufiku told Namibian Sun that he did not want to be involved in the political mess surrounding that hospital.
In a recent interview with Namibian Sun Haufiku complained of political interference and said “his superior in cabinet” had berated him for giving the government a bad name when he had reached out to the private sector for help.
On a number of occasions Haufiku had publicly expressed his frustration with the way things are done in the public sector, saying that “some of the people must make a rotation in the private sector before they can go to the public sector”.
Yesterday political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah said Haufiku's appointment as health advisor made no sense.
“It makes no sense to fire a health minister and appoint him as an advisor in the same area. That tells me that the system in government somehow does not work as it should, especially if we look at the cost of firing a person and replacing that person but keeping that fired person in the same area.”
Kamwanyah also questioned the timing of the president's action, saying there was a need for a closer look behind the scenes to see what exactly was going on between the former minister and the president.
“If you look at the articles quoted in the press release from the presidency then it shows that they did it in a hurry. They were in a hurry to fire him. I am not saying he cannot be fired; it is the prerogative of the president to fire if he wants to fire.” Meanwhile, the Landless People's Movement (LPM) says it is puzzled by Haufiku's dismissal while retaining lands minister Utoni Nujoma, whose head had been demanded by many activists including the LPM.
“LPM as a matter of fact calls for the dismissal of [all] cabinet ministers and their deputies for incompetence, lack of creativity, and for lack of innovation to revive our economy, which is sliding backwards into depression.
“Namibians continue to be trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty, inequality and unemployment,” the LPM said in a statement yesterday.
Geingob has also been criticised for dismissing former deputy lands minister Bernadus Swartbooi for comments he had made at a festival at Hoachanas.
Earlier this year Geingob also fired former home affairs minister Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana and former sports minister Jerry Ekandjo for being too vocal during their campaign against Geingob's slate for the top four positions at the 2017 Swapo congress.
This trend is “troubling”, argues political analyst Fredericko Links.
“It is clear that anybody with a strong opinion and willing to express this opinion is seemingly not welcome. Most people are reading it that way and that is troubling,” says Links.
Links also believes Haufiku's situation could have been handled differently.
“If you have a capable person who is willing change things, why not keep that person?” he asks.
JEMIMA BEUKES
Geingob yesterday said some ministers forget that they took an oath not to divulge anything discussed in cabinet meetings.
He said this when he appointed Dr Kalumbi Shangula as the new health minster to replace Dr Bernard Haufiku.
Haufiku has now been appointed as special advisor on health and social services in the office of the vice-president.
Haufiku and Geingob had clashed a number of times and at one point Geingob called Haufiku to order for interfering with a government decision regarding the site of a new referral hospital in the north.
“This hospital saga apparently created bad blood between the two and Haufiku told Namibian Sun that he did not want to be involved in the political mess surrounding that hospital.
In a recent interview with Namibian Sun Haufiku complained of political interference and said “his superior in cabinet” had berated him for giving the government a bad name when he had reached out to the private sector for help.
On a number of occasions Haufiku had publicly expressed his frustration with the way things are done in the public sector, saying that “some of the people must make a rotation in the private sector before they can go to the public sector”.
Yesterday political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah said Haufiku's appointment as health advisor made no sense.
“It makes no sense to fire a health minister and appoint him as an advisor in the same area. That tells me that the system in government somehow does not work as it should, especially if we look at the cost of firing a person and replacing that person but keeping that fired person in the same area.”
Kamwanyah also questioned the timing of the president's action, saying there was a need for a closer look behind the scenes to see what exactly was going on between the former minister and the president.
“If you look at the articles quoted in the press release from the presidency then it shows that they did it in a hurry. They were in a hurry to fire him. I am not saying he cannot be fired; it is the prerogative of the president to fire if he wants to fire.” Meanwhile, the Landless People's Movement (LPM) says it is puzzled by Haufiku's dismissal while retaining lands minister Utoni Nujoma, whose head had been demanded by many activists including the LPM.
“LPM as a matter of fact calls for the dismissal of [all] cabinet ministers and their deputies for incompetence, lack of creativity, and for lack of innovation to revive our economy, which is sliding backwards into depression.
“Namibians continue to be trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty, inequality and unemployment,” the LPM said in a statement yesterday.
Geingob has also been criticised for dismissing former deputy lands minister Bernadus Swartbooi for comments he had made at a festival at Hoachanas.
Earlier this year Geingob also fired former home affairs minister Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana and former sports minister Jerry Ekandjo for being too vocal during their campaign against Geingob's slate for the top four positions at the 2017 Swapo congress.
This trend is “troubling”, argues political analyst Fredericko Links.
“It is clear that anybody with a strong opinion and willing to express this opinion is seemingly not welcome. Most people are reading it that way and that is troubling,” says Links.
Links also believes Haufiku's situation could have been handled differently.
“If you have a capable person who is willing change things, why not keep that person?” he asks.
JEMIMA BEUKES
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