Ekandjo faces gay marriage, abortion and dagga storm

• CHARMAINE NGATJIHEUE and ARLANA SHIKONGOACTIVISTS say remarks made by Swapo parliamentarian Jerry Ekandjo are disrespectful and problematic, and he should retire from politics.

This follows Ekandjos comments in the National Assembly on Tuesday, when he lashed out at legalising same-sex marriages, abortion and cannabis.

The former Cabinet minister made his remarks during the budget review debate.

He said gays and lesbians should not be allowed in Namibia because the Constitution does not speak about same-sex marriages but rather marriages between a man and a woman.

“Why should we allow gays here in Namibia? We cannot allow a male person to insert his penis into the anus of another man,” Ekandjo said.

Human rights activist Linda Baumann says Ekandjos remarks are not surprising, nor is his behaviour, but the platform he used shows his lack of understanding.

She describes Ekandjo as ignorant and disrespectful and completely disregarding human rights.

She notes that he has incited violence with his remarks, and the safety and security of the LGBTQI+ community has been placed in jeopardy.

“He should know better. There are kids that grew up in front of him that are gay. There are people close to him that are gay. He does not respect the principles of human rights,” she says.

Baumann challenged the government to initiate a national dialogue on human rights,including discussions on abortion as well as the legalisation of dagga, which she says is a way of policing what people do with their bodies.

Namibia Equal Rights Movement founder Omar van Reenen says Ekandjos remarks amount to state-sanctioned homophobia.

He says it is disheartening to have an MP speak about human and civil rights in a demeaning and dehumanising manner.

“This shows where his priorities lie and where the party [Swapo] lies… Ekandjo is out of touch with Namibia and the youth of this country,” Van Reenen says.

Voices for Choices and Rights Coalition co-founder Ndiilokelwa Nthengwe says Ekandjos remarks are clearly hate speech, which is compounded by ignorance and blatant disregard for the rights of women, girls and non-conforming people.

“Any homophobic rhetoric incites violence towards the LGBTQIA+ community. Perhaps he is too concerned with the private lives of sexual, gender and sex minorities which infringes on the right to dignity and privacy as accorded in our Constitution.

“Why is he so concerned with the private lives of LGBTQA+ persons?” questioned Nthengwe.

Swapo parliamentarian Emma Theofelus says she spoke to Ekandjo about his remarks but they remain his views.

“The good thing is that Swapo has its structures… whether it is calling out,whether it is correcting, whether it is discussing, all should be done within the Swapo party structures,” she says.

MISPLACED

Meanwhile, Namibias youngest member of parliament, Patience Masua, described Ekandjos comments as misplaced.

She was speaking during an interview on the Breakfast in the Desert show on Desert Radio.

Masua said none of the young parliamentarians called Ekandjo to order, because his rant was not the focus of the debate.

She added that standing up at that time would not have brought about the desired results.

“If I stood up,that would be for political expedience. That would be for the media to have an opportunity to say look, wow, she stood up against a fellow Swapo party member on these issues. It doesnt have the necessary value.

“What brings out the desired results is me going back, doing my research and supporting the bills when they come because thats when theres real impact – that is when you will substantively see the value that we can bring in terms of these very important but controversial issues,” she said.

She added that young people need to recognise a lot of work is being done behind the scenes, in terms of young parliamentarians defending key issues pertaining to the youth.