Christof Maletsky
2 December 2008
THE ruling Swapo Party has called on its members to ignore "unnecessary provocations and acts of violence" from opposition parties and some unnamed individuals and organisations.
Secretary General Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana said Swapo was under attack and being slandered by opposition parties and agent provocateurs.
"We are fully aware of their agenda, which is to intimidate and provoke our members in view of next year's presidential and national elections, to render the country ungovernable and called for the postponement of elections as they usually do," Ithana claimed at a media briefing in Windhoek yesterday.
Ithana was sharing some of the resolutions taken at the weekend's Central Committee meeting with the media.
She said the meeting agreed with the sentiments expressed by President Hifikepunye Pohamba on the recent inter-party violence.
Quoting from Pohamba's statement, Ithana said the onslaught against the party and its leadership has intensified with insults.
"This negative campaign has found its way in both print and electronic media.
We are portrayed as people who have no idea of basic principles of democracy," she said "We are portrayed as intolerant and people who advocate anarchy in the land of the brave.
Present and former leaders of our party are being insulted on a daily basis," Ithana said.
She singled out The Namibian newspaper, which she claimed had an objective to reflect Namibia as a country which can never become a democracy.
"They have predicted that before and by all means are working hard to realise their doomed dreams.
In pursuit of their objective, they consistently continue to deny the public the truth," Ithana said.
She cited as an example the recent violent incident at Outapi and the subsequent reports on it.
Ithana accused the media of failing to point out that the Police report pinpointed both Swapo and the Rally for Democracy and Progress supporters as the guilty parties in the incident.
However, the Police report which Ithana quoted was never provided to the media.
The media only received a press statement on November 25, which gave details of the incident but not the comments Ithana distributed at yesterday's media briefing.
A look at the document that Ithana distributed at the briefing indicates that the comments where treated as "confidential" by the Police and only provided to State House by Safety and Security Minister Nickey Iyambo.
The Police report stated that there was a lack of communication between the RDP and the Police, as the party was "conservative with information".
It said the RDP failed to provide the Police with information regarding the change of venue, time of the meeting, envisaged speakers and the number of expected supporters.
"Some RDP supporters ignored Police instructions and were adamant to proceed with the meeting despite the dangerous situation which was unfolding," the Police report said.
It said supporters and members of both parties had "serious discipline problems" as they "flatly ignored Police instructions".
"Some Swapo supporters even went to the extent of intimidating, insulting and assaulting Police officers performing duty on that day," the report distributed by Ithana said.
The Police expressed concern that political violence, if allowed to continue, may encourage lawlessness and political chaos.
"Others may do the same in public area they unlawfully consider theirs," the Police warned.
Ithana claimed that opposition parties and the media, such as The Namibian, with "hidden agendas" were to blame for the wrong perception about Swapo's political campaigns.
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