Manifesto launch: Swapo leaders speak

THE ruling Swapo Party is still coming to terms with an embarrassingly poor turnout at its election manifesto launch in Katutura on Saturday.

It is part of the party’s culture that all leaders, especially ministers, attend major events such as the election manifesto launch, but a host of ministers, deputies and other political office bearers did not show up this time.

The absence of many senior party and government figures has fuelled speculation that leaders, especially those who did not do well at last weekend’s electoral college, snubbed the event.

The Minister of Defence, Nahas Angula, together with former Swapo secretary general Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana; the party’s secretary for transport, Jerry Ekandjo; Minister of Works and Transport, Erkki Nghimtina; Finance Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, and the Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) national leaders were among those who did not attend the launch.

Angula yesterday said it was not his manifesto and his presence should not be expected, when asked why he did not attend the event.

“Is that my manifesto or why should I be there?” asked Angula, adding that he was in Ondangwa for other activities, without providing details.

Angula was among those who did not contest for inclusion on the party ‘pot’ list that saw a number of new faces scoring higher than stalwarts such as Iivula-Ithana, Kawana, Richard Kamwi and Ekandjo. National Assembly Speaker Theo-Ben Gurirab and Ben Amathila, who are members of Nujoma’s first government in 1990, also did not make it high on the list.

Other members of the current government, who did not do well at the electoral college, are Minister of Education David Namwandi, Minister of Mines Isak Katali, Minister of Gender Equality and Child Welfare Rosalia Nghidinwa, Minister of Environment and Tourism Uahekua Herunga, deputy Minister of Agriculture, Water and Forestry Lempy Lucas, defence deputy minister Peter Iilonga, deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs Hilma Nicanor, mines deputy minister Willem Isaacks and health deputy minister Petrina Haingura.

Angula, however, maintained last week that he would remain in the party’s central committee and the politburo. He also said he would serve the party and run for office during the party’s 2017 congress.

Iivula-Ithana, when called for comment on why she was absent at the launch, asked: “Was everybody there?”.

She then said that she was out of town and could not attend. Iivula-Ithana was number 86 on the ‘pot’ list, while Ekandjo (number 81), said he was attending war veteran Lameck Ithete’s funeral in the North, and returned to Windhoek on Sunday.

“I was attending Ithete’s funeral,” he said.

Ithete was buried in the Omusati region on Thursday at the Omugulugwombashe National Shrine, and President Hifikepunye Pohamba, who launched the manifesto, also attended the funeral before returning to Windhoek.

Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said she was not in the country and only returned on Saturday evening. Nghimtina refused to comment.

SPYL secretary for information Job Amupanda said they attended Frieda Ndatipo’s funeral in the north on Saturday. Ndatipo was killed at the Swapo Party headquarters in a confrontation between the police and ‘struggle kids’ who are demanding jobs from government.

The Namibian understands that several elders made calls to ask why the youth wing did not attend the launch. In response, Amupanda questioned on his Facebook page why they were being watched.

“Elites are funny. They ask where the youth are when they left their fat kids at home eating popcorn. Omushi uunona wayakweni uulayi ano?(Do you construe other people’s children to be stupid?)” Amupanda wrote.

The status has so far attracted 119 likes, eight shares and 30 comments. Most of those who commented applauded, said: “Their fat kids must attend rallies too. Elites have a rat mentality cleaning other people’s houses while leaving their mess unattended to. It’s true their kids are obese and schooling at private schools and in overseas countries,” were some of the responses whilst only a few called Amupanda a sell-out.

Speaking during the launch, Swapo secretary general Nangolo Mbumba said party leaders should know that they still have a responsibility towards the party, regardless of their position on the list of people going to the National Assembly.

“All party leaders should know that the Swapo Party structures remain intact, irrespective of your position on the party list,” Mbumba said.

President Hifikepunye Pohamba launched the 52-page document, which sets out the party’s vision for Namibia for the next five years.