Alfredo Tjiurimo Hengari
5 December 2008
opinion
NAMIBIA is a micro-state in a phase of transition, in a heterogeneous world, which implies multiples tendencies and contradictory responses.
But what worries me is our tendency to respond to these complex and at times dangerous phenomena with templates of the past or in the most casual of ways.
Since we use templates of the past, we tend to politically growl every now and then without providing substantive responses to the complex challenges facing us as a nation.
Second, the usage of templates also suggests that we perpetuate a certain comedy of happiness, which in essence amounts to a pervasive denial of our realities.
We present matters as merry, even if they are not.
Our country is unwell.
I am putting matters this way because like all Namibians, I am worried about the tone and responses that our Government has given to recent events.
Last year, I argued in one of my pieces that democracy, as a form of government, should be the means through which various political formations protect the state and the welfare of the people.
My argument was in the main aimed at the emergence of the RDP as a political player, notably due to the fact that it emerged from the belly of Swapo.
In light of its composition, it was going to be a complicated actor, politically that is.
And in the aftermath of this formation, we have seen (unpredictably on my part, that is) a succession of bouts of violent behaviour, which passed without any coherent response on the part of the Government.
These reached a dangerous zenith in Omusati.
As such, we, or perhaps those who are worried, have fingers crossed and hoping that next year will turn out better, despite the looming legislative and presidential elections.
Alas, our hopes would have been rooted in a potential opportunity had the Government, and in particular if the ruling party Swapo, engaged the RDP differently.
Sadly, that opportunity was lost.
Similarly, there are angry people in the RDP, who also on their part spill venom at every turn and it is incumbent on them to tone down rhetoric as they could also contribute to lost opportunities in our attempts at democracy.
However, I place deliberate emphasis on the leadership in Government in view of the fact they also constitute the top leadership of the ruling party.
Importantly, they have the added responsibility of being custodians of our Constitution, and consequently our democracy.
But as these events have unfolded over the past year, they have been met with muted responses, both in Government and at the party level.
Admittedly, the stakes will certainly be higher next year and temperatures are likely to rise.
The question would then be: what coherent strategy does the Government have in place to deal with possible political violence looming on the horizon? The point is not to argue that violence is a fait accompli when we approach elections next year.
But in the face of such assumptions, and importantly on the basis of what happened this year, the Government must actively think and set up a coherent framework to deal with potential violence.
The current responses with an ultimately incomprehensible response on the part of the President of the country are less than reassuring to some of us.
On the whole, they have been inchoate and less than audible to those who continue to foment hatred and violence.
They also point to a government and a party that does not speak with one voice.
If the Minister of Safety and Security, Nickey Iyambo, condemned the violent confrontations, the President used the party platform to blame, among others, the Police and the RDP.
No direct message was aimed at the ruling party, despite the Police suggesting that Swapo was at fault.
Unless the President seeks to suggest that he has no confidence in the Police, which fall under his command.
In which case, we also lose confidence and our trust in the Police.
The point I seek to underscore here is that these are no simple matters and the responses should not be as simplistic or emotive as they have been.
Nor should we underestimate the consequences of these contradictions on the rule of law and importantly how various institutions engage with each other, including the authority of the President.
At no point should the President be seen to be hesitant with regard to rule of law.
There should be no popularity contest as lives could be lost in the process.
As such, the current situation demand urgency and reflections that goes beyond party templates.
The leadership should think about the long-term survival of the state because the current climate points to a weakening of the State and its institutions.
They also demand the Government thinking of the consequences of the existing climate with regard to the survival of the State and the consolidation of a democratic system.
Our country would present the opportunity it always presented in the past if we start to think responses in terms of the rest and not the immediate.
Providing adequate responses demands a system that is proactive and reflective in the manner in which it thinks the consequences.
And importantly, one in which the only fear is failure.
* Alfredo Tjiurimo Hengari is a PhD fellow in political science at the University of Paris- Panthéon Sorbonne, France.
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