Fillemon Wise Immanuel
5 December 2008
opinion
I have been tempted to write this piece of argument in light of the ugly turn-out of events at Outapi, Omusati Region on November 22, 2008, following the 'alleged' head-on clash between RDP and SWAPO supporters, a situation which Nampol nearly failed to arrest.
Without apportioning blame on any of the parties, be it SWAPO or RDP, I would like to submit herein that the acts, and I mean the Acts themselves, without any reference to the actor(s) that took place, are uncalled for and thus cannot be condoned.
As to who perpetuated the above acts, is secondary to me, the actions themselves hold more degrees of contestation for me, in the context of the Namibian Constitution (Article 17 specifically) and numerous international treaties to which Namibia is a party, including the African Charter, International Covenant on Economic, Social & Cultural Rights as well International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Both the Namibian Constitution and the mentioned international legal instruments, have called for respect of political rights and tolerance of political differences thereof, between different member states and between individual citizens in their respective countries.
Although 'Outapi drama' is what prompted me to write this article, I would deal with the scenario in a scholarly manner. What manifested at Outapi appears to be a heightened level of political intolerance in the country. Hence my article will be on Political Intolerance vs Tolerance in Namibia: Outapi as case study.
At the outset, I acknowledge the subject that I am about to engage in is quite complex, thus I handsomely invite various intellectuals in different fields and/or from all walks of life to join me in this intellectual discourse.
Political intolerance can be defined as lack of respect, acceptance and accommodation for others in the events of exercising openly their constitutionally guaranteed political rights.
This set of rights includes, inter alia, rights such as freedom of thought, expression, association, peaceful assembly and protection against detention and torture, etc.
More often than not, political intolerance manifests itself when someone is not willing to let other people act in a different way or hold different political views or opinions. Put differently, political intolerance can mean that people are treated unfairly because of their political beliefs and association, or because of the mismatching political prepositions.
In words of one syllable, political intolerance does not accept political differences and as such its end product is in most cases the violence.
Jacob Zuma, when addressing the annual Chris Hani Memorial Lecture in 2007, said that "political intolerance and lack of debate had resulted in the disintegration of democracy and the destruction of nations, as witnessed elsewhere in the world a climate in which we resist open engagement on issues of national interest due to political intolerance or fear will never allow the growth of political consciousness".
This clearly indicates that political intolerance retards ideas, innovation and creativity as people are not challenged to knock behind their brain when thinking in the absence of intellectual adversaries.
Those that are thinking, but are not too sure of how their views and/or opinions will be received by their political opponents or fellow comrades, may be in fear of expressing them. This no doubt results in retrogressive growth of political consciousness.
On the other hand, while political tolerance is a direct antonym of political intolerance, literature further informs us that it is the respect, acceptance and appreciation accorded to individuals in showcasing the diversity of their political views and opinions as may exist amid common human beings.
In practical terms, political tolerance is harmony in the political differences. It is fostered by knowledge, openness, communication and freedom of thought, conscience and belief.
Political tolerance is about one being her or himself, without imposing her/his political views on others, except through logical persuasion.
Political tolerance is not about giving in or let alone giving up. It is, above all, an active attitude prompted by recognition of the universal human rights and fundamental freedoms of others.
The practices of political tolerance however don't mean toleration of social injustice or the abandonment or weakening of one's conviction. All in all, political tolerance is not always a positive concept or an easy practice, but I am reasonably convinced it is an art that we can all master as rational beings.
Agreeably, political tolerance is an important catalyst in the evolution process of a democratic society such as ours. Thus, all citizens, either party members or non-party members, are expected to fall prey to this social concept and practice it.
If the major players in a political system (field), political parties and their entire membership do not obey tolerant principles and/or take extenuating steps to avoid foreseeable political violence, our democracy may be in trouble. As such, the guarantee of national peace and security for all is questionable.
This does not, however, mean universal tolerance is required or even desired for the success of democracy.
What I am arguing here is that by its nature democracy is a system of institutionalised competition of power, but if this competition becomes too intense as to be violent, the system can break down entirely and may take long to repair.
Democracies, therefore, must find mechanisms to mitigate conflict and divisions with consensus. We all know that the danger of continuing to live in a conflict-prone system leads to insecurity, social decay and reversals of democracy.
Thus it is the responsibility of not only the government or ruling party, but of all stakeholders to nurture the democratisation process through the practice of political tolerance.
Today, Namibia is at an important crossroads in its political journey as a democratic state. However, while in a great knowledge of the above, some of the following questions may constitute a set of questions that we may be asking ourselves: Will Namibia, as a country, march towards a further consolidated democratisation and greater economic stability, or will it march towards an increased political polarisation and relapse into a chaotic and ungovernable state?
This is for instance, when we have ineffective and powerless police officials to be able to repel the potential force resistance, when the situation demands during political rallies and other public meetings.
Of course, you and I, my party and your party, would not want to see this happening. As such, while the state is to ensure that capable cadres are delegated, you and I must make it our integral assignment to educate our respective party members on the potential danger of any political violence.
In the face of all, much depends on overcoming the current level of political intolerance to a manageable level.
This is easy in Namibia like anywhere else, provided that political leaders and members of various parties see it indifferently. In other words, each of the political parties, ruling or non-ruling, should desist itself from deliberate provocations against the other.
In the event of violence being perpetuated from both parties, they all need to bring it to an end, as it does not hold well for our social harmony and peaceful co-existence.
The bringing to an end of political intolerance does not only create a congenial political culture compatible with a democratic society, but also presents a political pleasure while making the national politics an interesting agenda.
Should this be the case, in the process politicians are compelled to think on their feet in the quest to find solutions to the national challenges, while at the same time devising effective and logical campaign strategies to win them massive support through the application of the majoritarian rule.
All the above, ladies and gentlemen, point to the importance of having the culture of tolerance both in the political and social arenas. Various studies have suggested that with proper education, training and socialization, greater tolerance can be achieved among the party activists and aspiring leaders and in society in general.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
