THE Inspector General of the Police, Lieutenant General Sebastian Ndeitunga, has advised political parties not to hold "house-to-house and shebeen-to-shebeen campaigns" for the upcoming national and presidential elections.

Addressing a meeting between Police top brass and political parties in Windhoek yesterday to map out strategies for co-operation on rallies and other party-political gatherings, Ndeitunga said "from a security point of view it is strongly not advisable for political parties to campaign from house to house and shebeen to shebeen to canvass support. I would like to discourage this campaign strategy."

However, The Namibian was told last night that opposition parties told the Police boss "straight up" that they would not stop campaigning door-to-door.

Some party leaders might argue that it is their constitutional right to campaign from house to house, Ndeitunga added, but these fundamental human rights, as enshrined in the Constitution, are also subject to Clause 13(1) in the Constitution.

Clause 13(1) stipulates that "no persons shall be subject to interference with the privacy of their home, correspondence or communications save as in accordance with the law and as is necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security, public safety or in the economic well-being of the country, for the protection of health or morals, for the prevention of disorder or crime or for the protection of the rights or freedoms of others".

Last week Oshana Governor Clemens Kashuupulwa met with the DTA, RDP and CoD at Oshakati and reportedly criticised house meetings of some opposition parties in the north-central regions, mainly done by the RDP.

Kashuupulwa argued that parties should wait with such meetings until President Hifikepunye Pohamba officially launched the election campaign period.

The State-owned Namibian Press Agency (Nampa) reported last week that the DTA conducted "mobile election campaigns" in the Omusati Region last weekend and will do the same in the Ohangwena Region in the coming days, visiting people at their homesteads.

Yesterday Ndeitunga said there had been some political intolerance at Outapi last year and in the Moses Garoëb constituency in Katutura.

Ndeitunga did not give details, but at Outapi a convoy of over 200 cars loaded with Swapo supporters chased out RDP party members and supporters who had booked a venue for a meeting there last year.

"We should ask ourselves if it is not possible to join efforts and unite in maintaining public order and security, to embrace and uphold the tolerance as political parties and can't we all try to avoid the house-to-house and shebeen-to-shebeen campaign strategy to enable our citizens their right to privacy and avoid all perceived provocations? Yes, we can!" the Police Chief said, taking a quote from US president Barack Obama's 2008 election campaign.

"It is an open secret that some political parties in their attempt to canvass support, prefer to conduct their political campaigns at undefined and unapproved venues, in the process causing inconvenience in terms of public security," Ndeitungaa told the dozen party representatives yesterday.

Ndeitunga stressed that it was the responsibility of party leaders to sensitise their members, supporters and sympathisers to refrain from any violent activities and to exercise political tolerance during party rallies and meetings.

The Police would assess a venue beforehand should it be notified of a political gathering, and if found unsuitable, move the meeting elsewhere, he added. "Such measures will only be considered for reasons of maintaining peace and security and not intended to favour anyone."

However, the meeting ended after almost three hours without any clear resolutions.

"The opposition parties told the Police boss straight that we would not give up on door-to-door campaigning and that we would not stop with that," a delegate from one of the opposition parties told The Namibian yesterday.

"We also informed General Ndeitunga that there is only a problem if RDP is holding a meeting where there is a lot of Swapo support and that Swapo then causes problems. There is never a problem with the DTA, RP, Nudo, Swanu, UDF or the APP parties," the delegate said.