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Namibia: Politicians Adding Fuel to Fire - Viljoen
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The Namibian (Windhoek)
27 March 2008
Posted to the web 27 March 2008
Brigitte Weidlich
Windhoek
Ethnicity, tribalism and racism have the potential to destroy good relations among Namibians, especially when political differences were not handled with care and wisdom, a member of the opposition has warned.
"We as a nation must be aware of any flickering of red lights that may indicate future problems," said Jurie Viljoen of the Monitor Action Group (MAG) yesterday in his contribution to the budget debate.
"We are all aware what is happening in other African countries because of political differences," Viljoen cautioned.
"Two new political parties were formed in our country recently and we are aware of tensions between the different political parties.
Unfortunately, some of our leaders in this country are also guilty of adding fuel to the fire.
According to an African saying, if two elephants are fighting it is the grass that suffers most," the MAG politician stated.
Nobody could predict what influence these new parties would have on the next elections, and recently a municipal election was halted due to alleged irregularities, he added, hinting at the Omuthiya town council elections, which were supposed to be held last month.
"Half of the Election Commission's staff was sent on 'holiday' - how will we manage a national election?" he wanted to know.
"We have learned that over a thousand people died in Kenya since the December 2007 elections.
We will know after the coming week what the situation will be in Zimbabwe (after the elections)", Viljoen continued.
"There is no reason to have positive expectations.
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One wrong word or move (in Zimbabwe) at a political rally can be destructive for the whole country."
Viljoen urged Namibian politicians to stop name-calling and inflaming the passions of people.
"Political circumstances can change overnight," he warned.
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