I will never betray the course of the liberation struggle

It’s a pity that there are those with misplaced notions and ignorance about the history of our struggle for liberation and thus distort the enormous sacrifices, suffering and contributions of the home front for the attainment of our freedom and independence!

This ignorance stems from either self-denial or sheer ignorance underscored by the arrogance rooted in inferiority complexes inherent in the 'Vakwetu vaya' syndrome and the myth of imperialism. Yet (economic) imperialism and its hegemony are what global capitalist economies feed on.

That notwithstanding, we would not exist without imperialist democratic institutions, which we have clung to for 34 years. Much of our wealth and land remain in the hands of imperialist institutions, while we 'allow' our people to be paid slave wages. This perpetuates poverty and misery among the very people we always claim were suffering throughout our anti-colonial wars.

One wonders whether the sale of Erindi and other lands belonging to our people is not feeding into the very imperialist notion we so violently object to.

A belief in dictatorial tendencies exemplifies the mentality expressed on the platform of liberation struggle veterans cushioned by false perceptions born out of sheer ignorance of our constitutional and diplomatic provisions.

Freedom, justice and solidarity

I once told the likes of Lohmeir and Zhu that there is no justice in a revolutionary liberation struggle.

Many died in Lubango having seemingly never been given an opportunity to state their case, yet we were guided by the principles of justice, freedom and solidarity.

Where is the justice in those fabricating and instigating against the legitimate exercise of our constitutional values in participating in political activities?

Where is your solidarity with those who perished and sacrificed their precious lives under the pretext of being enemy spies?

When will Namibia, and indeed Swapo members and fellow veterans, depart from the elements of historical entitlement and vengeance and instead embrace humanity with humility to allow Namibian democracy to flourish and mature?

The ghosts of the past must be allowed to rest! They will only destroy what we are building.

Only when we are brave enough to confront the objective realities of our contributions to the liberation struggle, as well as the interactions among people across the spectrum of our diverse origins, contributors to our hard-won independence among diverse races, tribes and ethnicities, will we (one day) be able to build a truly recognisable 'One Namibia, One Nation.'

Many contributed

As long as the perception of entitlement persists, there can be no acting in the best interest of our people. As long as veiled personal attacks on those who excel in politics form the basis of political debate, sociopolitical debates shall never come to fruition.

Needless to say, the now-departed His Excellency was always right about one thing in political debates: 'play the ball, not the person.'

However, when confronting political imperialism rooted in ignorance and arrogance, one might find themselves expending precious energy that could be used more productively elsewhere. One form of imperialism is no better than the other. We can conclude that we all fought for this country, each in our separate way.

Those who have never participated in the liberation struggle across generations may be excused for their ignorance. Otherwise, we risk falling victim to the viciousness of their subjective denial and narrow-minded view of the essence and dimensions of the liberation struggle to which so many contributed.

They left a village to fight for a village and a tribe and returned to a nation with a diversity of cultures they never perceived, armed with an imperialist Resolution 435, forced upon us by global forces, and naturally, our extensive military activities by the brave soldiers of PLAN, diplomatic and political efforts combined with an absolute sense of comradeship. A culture shock is evident in the denial of the objective truth. It is on an imperialist foundation that Namibia survives, although its essence displays ownership.

Look to the future

We all know our separate roles in the liberation struggle, and it shall never be defined by subjective perceptions born out of party ignorance. Let us leave the past in the ugly darkness and embrace the present to build a future for generations to come – a multiparty democracy to flourish or apathy to be its coffin. Someday, the ugly past shall be buried, never to raise its divisive head again.

Let us then be objective and truthful, if indeed we resemble leaders, erstwhile revolutionaries and comrades.

Those who were in prison with me recall our vows, as we pledged never to betray the course of the liberation struggle. Those who were on the battlefield never left each other wounded. Those in diplomatic circles understood power literacy.

We are not done yet! Others take over – we can't go on and on!

We are phasing out the second generation to allow the seeds of 1990 to sprout and flourish. We planted them consciously.

They deserve better than the bitter pills of blind vengeance and entitlement.

Relent and shed the old to accommodate the new, as it is critical for Namibia to survive. Mutual suspicion does not build trust. It is not institutions that allow nations to flourish. It is person-to-person, face-to-face, that builds trust and creates the glue that binds nations in harmony – call it international or national laws and rules. Ignore them, and we perish as a people.

In the absence of trust, people and nations will never flourish. It is the future, not the past, that dictates the present. We must saddle the horse that will lead us to our destination, not the one that took the dark road, drowning in the muddy shrubs of greed.

Where political contestation ends, patriotism must emerge as the sole driving force to build a united nation – a people of diversity with a common destination, united by the common goals of an achieved vision.

We shall never surrender! Nor shall future generations ignore the sacrifices that some wish to sweep under the carpet of ignorance.

*Dr. Panduleni Itula is president of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) and a veteran of the Namibian liberation struggle.