EDITORIAL: Why rush, Mr President?
In an exclusive interview with Namibian Sun in August 2020, former Botswana president Ian Khama called SADC an 'oppressive brotherhood'.
Ironically, he was speaking about the regional bloc's silence on gross human rights violations in Zimbabwe. Following President Hage Geingob’s congratulatory message for Emmerson Mnangagwa’s controversial re-election in that country, it is glaringly becoming clear that liberation movements will always side with each other at any cost. This cost could be in the form of imprisoning opposition figures, journalists or even stealing votes to undermine the democratic voices of the people.
In the past, the oppressive brotherhood that is SADC has never condemned the conduct of any election in the region, especially where former liberation movements have been declared winners. Last week’s Zimbabwean election was the first ever on which SADC cast aspersions. Geingob, without acknowledging any of the observations made by an organisation he once chaired, skipped all the drama and hastened to congratulate Mnangagwa. This angered many Zimbabweans, and understandably so.
Why rush to congratulate a winner of an election whose credibility has been questioned by a regional body to which Namibians have sworn allegiance?
Geingob should have, at most, urged Zimbabwe to host credible elections. If he is too scared to say it, ‘quiet diplomacy’ would have been the best policy to pursue instead of coming off as celebrating the clear trampling of democratic values that Zimbabweans too are entitled to enjoy. He had no business speaking ;on behalf of Namibians’ to applaud disputed electoral outcomes.
Ironically, he was speaking about the regional bloc's silence on gross human rights violations in Zimbabwe. Following President Hage Geingob’s congratulatory message for Emmerson Mnangagwa’s controversial re-election in that country, it is glaringly becoming clear that liberation movements will always side with each other at any cost. This cost could be in the form of imprisoning opposition figures, journalists or even stealing votes to undermine the democratic voices of the people.
In the past, the oppressive brotherhood that is SADC has never condemned the conduct of any election in the region, especially where former liberation movements have been declared winners. Last week’s Zimbabwean election was the first ever on which SADC cast aspersions. Geingob, without acknowledging any of the observations made by an organisation he once chaired, skipped all the drama and hastened to congratulate Mnangagwa. This angered many Zimbabweans, and understandably so.
Why rush to congratulate a winner of an election whose credibility has been questioned by a regional body to which Namibians have sworn allegiance?
Geingob should have, at most, urged Zimbabwe to host credible elections. If he is too scared to say it, ‘quiet diplomacy’ would have been the best policy to pursue instead of coming off as celebrating the clear trampling of democratic values that Zimbabweans too are entitled to enjoy. He had no business speaking ;on behalf of Namibians’ to applaud disputed electoral outcomes.
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