EDITORIAL: Kawana’s steadfastness deserves a mention
Home affairs minister Albert Kawana’s principled stance on the Supreme Court's same-sex ruling is worthy of commendation.
And this has nothing to do with same-sex unions; rather, it is about the notion of deferring to the rules of state agencies like our revered courts.
Kawana has been engulfed in a wildfire from both sides of the political divide – started by his own party Swapo, which sought to whip him into submission. These are Swapo’s old tactics of intimidation, which seek that those in the firing line succumb to its dictates or risk retribution.
Kawana knows Swapo inside out, having served in the liberation struggle. He has an eagle’s view of the party’s long history of bullying its way into things, so he won't be deluded into thinking that his actions will go unpunished in a party that thrives on vengeful politics.
But our courts are bigger than all of us – Swapo included. If we start seeing courts as bodies whose power we only acknowledge and obey when our moods so dictate, then what we have is no longer a country but a kraal of untamed animals.
True, court decisions can be challenged – formally or by word of mouth. Courts the world over have not been beyond reproach. But until their decisions have been changed through established channels, they have the last say. And Kawana, a PhD holder in law, knows this more than many of the political pretenders around him.
And this has nothing to do with same-sex unions; rather, it is about the notion of deferring to the rules of state agencies like our revered courts.
Kawana has been engulfed in a wildfire from both sides of the political divide – started by his own party Swapo, which sought to whip him into submission. These are Swapo’s old tactics of intimidation, which seek that those in the firing line succumb to its dictates or risk retribution.
Kawana knows Swapo inside out, having served in the liberation struggle. He has an eagle’s view of the party’s long history of bullying its way into things, so he won't be deluded into thinking that his actions will go unpunished in a party that thrives on vengeful politics.
But our courts are bigger than all of us – Swapo included. If we start seeing courts as bodies whose power we only acknowledge and obey when our moods so dictate, then what we have is no longer a country but a kraal of untamed animals.
True, court decisions can be challenged – formally or by word of mouth. Courts the world over have not been beyond reproach. But until their decisions have been changed through established channels, they have the last say. And Kawana, a PhD holder in law, knows this more than many of the political pretenders around him.
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article