Tribal agenda must end

We find it extremely disturbing and shocking that a political leader and a constituency councillor finds no fault in demanding that the country be divided according to tribal lines. These uncalled for remarks were made by Nudo politician and Okakarara constituency councillor Vetaruhe Kandorozu on national television on 26 February this year. His party has since distanced itself from the remarks made by one of its leaders. In a statement this week, Nudo president Asser Mbai said Kandorozu's views do not reflect the position of the party. As a national leader Kandorozu should have in some way or another taken an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia. And as a sober-minded person, he is equally aware that tribalism remains one the major obstacles in our country and a cancer that continues to threaten the very fabric of our society. His utterances on national television, nogal, are clearly driven by selfish interests meant to create divisions along tribal lines. It must therefore be denounced by all peace-loving Namibians. This country was founded on principles of unity and co-existence. This should not be taken for granted, as much as we have deep-seated political differences. Kandorozu is basically advocating for the Bantustan system used by former white oppressors to segregate Namibians. Our people have gone through very painful past experiences and the scars of apartheid brutality remains fresh in their memories. Kandorozu's tribal agenda that he is pursuing for personal gain should therefore not be entertained. Kandorozu must tackle the real issues and the many challenges faced by fellow Namibians in his respective constituency. Every Namibian, including the political leadership in this country, has a moral obligation to tackle the issue of tribalism with the contempt it deserves. The nonsense of isolating ourselves behind our tribes while rendering others' useless and less important must end now. It is our duty to despise the evils of tribalism and hold those accountable who have made it their mission to spew insults, name-call and throw irritating tantrums.