Working To Promote The Rule Of Law

ALLOW me to respond to the letter of R. Gaes in The Namibian of 12 June 2009 and in other local papers, in which she posed the question: ‘Where is Dr. Shejavali heading?’, and ‘cautioned’ me to ‘refrain from being used like bubblegum by the RDP and their desperate manoeuvres to win parliamentary seats in the upcoming elections’.

Gaes said her letter was in response to the statement issued by the Steering Committee on Churches and Elections in Namibia, and I will respond in my capacity as Chairperson.In the statement in which the Church expressed its concern on counter-Constitutional utterances made by the current and former Presidents, it – through its Declaration on Elections in Namibia 2009 – made clear its strong stance against any violation of the fundamental human rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution, the Electoral Commission of Namibia’s Code of Conduct for Political Parties and the provisions of the Electoral Act; and to denounce derogatory utterances by political leaders and any actions that threaten peace and the rule of law.What I am doing is to remind our political leaders – past, present and future – to honour and respect our country’s Constitution, instead of violating it, disturbing the peace, and creating fear among non-Namibians.I am working for a just, democratic society where ‘true’ human rights are fully respected and defended, for a free nation where people do not live at the mercy of their leaders’ emotions, or are threatened daily, but where we live in harmony. I am working for a peaceful Namibia, where its residents respect the Constitution, adhere to its stipulations, and know that no one has a special right to violate it; I also advocate an inclusive society where all people feel welcome, whether they are black or white, foreigners or citizens of this country. If the country has been liberated by many and for all of us, why then, should people be threatened with bullets in the head and cutting of throats for the stances they take or are presumed to take?The Church – as a part of society, which according to national statistics boasts a membership of more than 90 per cent of the Namibian population – should not and cannot be separated from the politics of the day. And real politics also has to do with God’s political and social justice. Politics should not be left to politicians only, but all citizens, including the Church: its leaders and members have the right to watch and scrutinise the actions of those whom they have elected to political power. Let it be once and for all clear to all of us that political leaders are not and should not act as gods to be worshipped. They are human beings and servants of the people who have elected them into positions. We, together with the politicians are servants of God, who are supposed to effect His will be done and felt among us all in the world.In the Declaration, the signatory churches confess the failures of the Church in not having been obedient to God by raising a prophetic voice in many instances since independence, and commit themselves ‘to boldly take up the role of being a prophetic voice by speaking on all issues that relate to the wellbeing of the nation and offer godly counsel to all elected officials on matters that will aid nation building’. The Church cannot excuse itself from politics when the interests and wellbeing – spiritual or otherwise – of its members and the nation at large are at stake. In fact, the Council of Churches in Namibia has also heeded to this call, and while it has been quiet for a long time on the political front, and not signed the Declaration (though some of its member churches have done so), by engaging the leaders of political parties in dialogue around a peaceful election process, it is clear that CCN too realizes the importance and weight of the Church’s voice in politics.Regarding Gaes’s cautionary ‘bubblegum’ statement, I can only state in no uncertain terms that even during the struggle for Namibia’s liberation and independence, in which the Church also played an important role, all who fought for Namibia’s independence and self-determination (including myself, at the time as the General Secretary of the CCN), were accused of being used by various elements – whether stated as communist, terrorist, Swapo, or otherwise.The argument that the use of the Word of God and the country’s own Constitution and national legislation in holding our leaders accountable for the roles in which we – the masses – have placed them, is comparable to ‘being used like bubblegum by RDP’, only shows that the essence of the Church’s message was wholly missed by Gaes.We are not protecting the RDP or any other political party for that matter, but Namibians and it’s residents in general from wilful utterances and threats. Namibia has never before – since independence – experienced this kind of vilification, humiliation and exclusion of certain sections of our own population by our own compatriots and leaders. We have also taken note of how devastating this kind of politicking can become if it derails, as in the cases of Zimbabwe, Kenya, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Iran, Nepal, etc.Namibia’s Church leaders are merely acting pro-actively to promote adherence to the rule of law by all Namibians alike to avert election related and politically motivated violence. This the Church owes to its collective membership.Today, as it did during the liberation struggle, the Church simply strives for the full wellbeing of Namibia’s people, and for the assurance of their freedom to exercise their human rights, in this instance, as enshrined in Namibia’s world renowned Constitution. In the case of the elections, our vision, basically, is to have free, fair and peaceful elections in Namibia, nothing more, and nothing less.I trust that this response has answered the questions posed by providing an overview of the Church’s role in the political realm, the objectives of the Steering Committee on Churches and Elections in Namibia, and the historical role and judgement of the Church for its humanitarian stance. Dr Abisai ShejavaliWindhoek