3 December 2008
editorial
A DEEPER understanding of the factors that influence political intolerance and violence in the country is called for if we are to eliminate this scourge.
Incidents of violence have to be looked at in context, seeing that our society is generally prone to violence.
Gender-based violence and violence against children is rampant. Violence perpetrated in the name of crime is also widespread with people being killed for as small an item as a cellphone and now political violence.
Instead of just dishing out condemnations and pointing fingers let us examine and analyse the psychology of those involved in violence and intolerance.
Of course, the incident at Outapi last weekend deserves all-round condemnation because violence of whatever form by whosoever is unacceptable.
But also unacceptable is the tendency to try and link former President Sam Nujoma to this incident when on the contrary there is no evidence to suggest that he had anything to do with it.
Worse still the accusations come at a time when the former president is mourning his beloved mother.
Equally, the subsequent verbal assault on Prime Minister Nahas Angula by Jesaya Nyamu deserves condemnation, as it constitutes hate speech and could inflame the volatile situation.
Calling the Prime Minister, who is also a senior leader of a political party, a "running dog" is apprehensible especially now when tempers have flared. Such language is violent and could stoke the fires of hatred.
Violence manifests itself in many ways and Nyamu's language is as good as physical violence and dangerous.
Perhaps now is the time to call an all-party conference on hate politics, intolerance and violence as a matter of urgency to discuss this issue and come up with a roadmap before next year's and future elections in the country.
Sitting the different political leaders in one hall and on one table could be symbolically significant. It would allow these former comrades to not only shake hands but also smile and crack jokes with each other in front of their supporters. That might break the ice.
It is only proper that the nation diagnoses the real cause of political violence. Political healing and reconciliation between parties can only be achieved once there is a common understanding of the factors that cause animosity.
We need to establish the cause of fears and apprehensions of those who resort to violent acts for political reasons. Mere condemnation of their acts will not take the problem away.
Granted, there are laws that can adequately deal with those found guilty of these offences. Granted, democracy is firmly entrenched and allows all kinds of freedoms including freedom of assembly, association and free speech etc.
But laws alone cannot sufficiently prevent acts of violence and this has been proven. The mere fact that Namibia is a democracy is not enough to ensure the freedoms that come with it are not violated.
And that is why we need to establish the reasons for extreme forms of resistance as has happened at Outapi and why some of our compatriots would want to protect their political space?
There are fundamental questions that we have to ask ourselves if we are to understand the thinking of those involved in violence and thus win the war against extremism in Namibia. Our intellectuals and others have to interrogate the minds of the men and women that engage in these forms of extremism and provide answers as to what drives them towards extremism.
It has to be noted that not all Namibians are on the same wavelength when it comes to certain modern concepts although they subscribe to the broader meaning of these concepts. While all Namibians subscribe to democracy, its meaning to them may vary.
Outapi, where this incident happened is a rural and traditional setting whose community, like many other rural communities, is trying to balance between constitutional rule and democracy as we have them today and the cultural protocols that govern their traditional community as well as the common bonds that bind them to their parties for whose defence they are willing to give everything.
At the risk of courting some controversy, we dare suggest this is a difficult route to navigate for many of these traditional communities hence education and more education about the intrinsic details of democratic practices.
Democracy may mean different things to different people that is why we need to find the reasons why some of these people are acting the way they are.
It is not enough to blame the current violence on Swapo members and leaders. We have to establish the cause of the frustrations, fear and anger of those involved and find ways of addressing them.
An all-party conference could provide a platform for the parties to arrive at a common solution to this nagging problem. Lessons can be drawn from experiences of other countries and expert opinion sought to allow for successful dialogue between rival parties.
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