SWAPO Failure: Reality, not a myth

[juikk]

My centiment exactly Lumumba...

[juikk]

Pietro, once again you startled me... and who be juicy? not that your comment actually contributes much to the topic at hand, nevertheless you get some of us curious enough to want to know.....what strategy would you be prescribing from by creating this mystery character you seem to be evolving into? Is it even a strategy, or are you always this cryptic in your way of communicating? or am I giving too much attention to this veil of mystery that envelopes you concurrently?

[tjommie]

Originally Posted by Lumumba

Who would have done it better you say? Well, I am quite sure that even within SWAPO itself, there are certain individuals who could have done it better if given the mandate. And if you are thinking 'why then they didn't do it', you must first remember that SWAPO is a totalitarian party whose absolulte power is vested in one man(sort of a private company only that in a private company, the owner would encourage top performance and demand results rather than excuses). In SWAPO there's no room for innovation and brilliance. If a bright man or woman comes up with some briliant plan or something the old guards view it as a threat instead of a blessing. They will shoot him down, lest the rest of the nation start to admire him and thus support him at their (the old guards) expenses. I am speaking from experience when I tell you that that's how SWAPO works. So, there you go, anybody else could have done it better including SWAPO itself.

Anyway, I have to mention that your question is somehow insulting to the entire Namibian nation. I tried my best to answer your question now can you answer mine please: Do you sincerely believe that no Namibian is capable of delivering better goods than what the SWAPO government brought us thus far?

Shebeen, I wrote a very similar post previously, but alas it does not show up..!!

But here is what I wrote (in summary):

I was questioning whether we were living in a "FREE and FAIR" country...All in all, attitude from the ruling party seems to suggest that we do not live in such a society. Should we question SWAPO's policies, we get branded imperialists, colonialist, British puppets? What is going on? Are you serious? This is my country; I want my children to enjoy their motherland and enjoy the fruits of our homeland!! It is my responsibility to ensure that these ideals are encouraged and practiced.

And this was the crux of "my lost post" that it is the responsibility of the ruling party to encourage active politics. It is important for the survival and dynamic evolution of a party to encourage a politically active electorate. Why? Because the world changes with time and policies that may have worked previously become outdated. Such policies need revision and that happens when people/electorate actively discusses these topics and find a new way forward. However, the SWAPO government is not encouraging such debates. Why is it difficult for opposition members to raise valid points. Why must they be boo'ed in parliament....because they are white....? What did we fight for? We did nto fight to become just like the "Boers", but we are sure being taught to act and respond as them.

We have gone into a zone of "being faithful" to the vision of one man, namely the former president, Sam Nujoma. We have "all" agreed to give him the accolade of "Father of the Nation". Did we mean it.....? I don't know. I certainly don't consider him the father of the nation, but I have the deepest respect for our former president and I consider what he has done for Namibia outstanding. Does that mean he made no mistakes....No! He made many mistakes. The problem is that the cadres are tooooo scared to say so. No one on this planet is perfect and it will be stupid to think or expect such of Pres. Nujoma .

My point is, SWAPO is not perfect and an element of arrogance has crept into the party whereby fellow party members are boo'ed and mummed for raising valid points of objections.

Anyways, that what I wanted to say...people are sick and tired from the ruling party that refuses to listen to its electorate.

[phelakuti]

The overall population is relatively small. The population of those who are able and capable to contribute to the forum and other such fora is even smaller and better still this forum's population is needs to increase exponentially. Please, make every voice count as long as it is in line and helpful to the cause. Let us get use to healthy competitive opinions, let us allow mild dissent and learn to agree to disagree without taking it negatively. It is to agree even if what one has to agree to is not own opinion as long as it is an agreeable one.

[phelakuti]

"Who could have done it" is a question for both defeatist and pessimists at at a time when it does not seem easy to find a solution to this leadership dilema. It is true that none other than SWAPO had been tested. Yet, there was a time when SWAPO had never had been tested either. Most leaders had never even own a house before, leave alone being head of a household and some remain so. When we say Namibia is the land of the "braves" this does not soley apply to SWAPO, rather to Namibians. There had been positions in the Namibian government that seemed hard to fill but they are now headed by new and younger officers. For instance, the speaker of the national assembly, and numerous other positions that require extra-ordinary skills and experiences.

[phelakuti]

SWAPO did not bring about freedom. Of course SWAPO fought hard and bravely for us all, we should be grateful for that. While at it[[ SWAPO not only deter all other Namibians to organise and fight for the same cause, it had gone to an extent of making sure to go through what is now called the Lubango dungeons to eliminate their members of ethnic backgrounds other than Kwanjamas. The UN and the international community equally brought about Namibia's independence. SWAPO on its own could still be fighting untill the next decades.

[phelakuti]

For those who always repeat the mantra tha SWAPO brought about freedom I want to just say that they check with their state of recollection, that they allowed to be misinformed and that they do not have facts as straight as need be. SWAPO Did Not Bring About Ffreedom at all. Well, it was on its way after a little over three decades of an otherwise mundane existence, when together with what they tormented as "internal puppets" agreed to a UN Resolution that ACTUALLY BROUGHT ABOUT INDEPENDENCE TO THE PEOPLE OF NAMIBIA. ZANU-PF revolutionary history stands apart and it is another story, all together, despite it also culminating in the Lancaster Conference. Which had been a definite and a direct forced by it. Quito Cuanevalle had never live up to expectatins. It is a belated propaganda. Like "Johny come lately.." I do not mean that I do not have respect or lacking gratitude for what PLAN stood for. However, it brought Namibia insatiable, greedy or perhaps neglected war veterans (whichever way one wants to look at) and a haunting crime besotten history of dungeons. I am sayin this because everything belong to SWAPO and the veterans are SWAPO's, thus for the last 18 years they are the one who take all what could otherwise had been for the rest of poor Namibians.

[phelakuti]

This is some kind of a version of the US founding Fathers' concept that had been taken out of context. The original US founding fathers had learned from others the notion of first creating a national constitution that may reflect on the aspirations of a majority while taking into consideration to avoid obvious pitfalls. (eg. the notion of the separation of the church and the state). There were nobly statesmen who had been deputised by heir communities, such as Jefferson, Hamilton, Jay, etc. who had thought their positions thoroughly through before and during the constitution writting process. Needlessly, most of what Namibia has for a National Constitution had been taken ad verbatim from other papers. The only provisionin it crafted with deliberate intent had been those designed to reflect the exiled SWAPO's whims of alienation, domination and vergeance rather than either to unite and to try and avoid emerging pitfalls. Foreigners who had a false notion of the people and their various communities and who barely paid attention to the history of apartheid and its machanics were in charge of hastily assembling this otherwise Supreme law document. Today unlike for the citizens of the US, Namibians may never make a sensible interpretation of ambiquitous texts in their own constiutions. For instance, "...those who suffered most during colonial period..." is presumed to imply only the PLAN's veterans, SWAPO's (not all) and the northerners by some, whereas others assume that it is all inclusive notion--- citizens of Namibia.

[Pietro]

Wow!!!!! I am surprised!!!!!!! There is actually a real phelakuti behind all that pompous, pseudo-intellectual rhetoric. Still stuck in the same groove!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And his sense of history would guantee him a "g" even at Unam!

[Pietro]

Lumumba,

I am certain the real Patrice Lumumba is rapidly turning in fan the way he is turning over in his grave so quickly listening to all the codswallop - wherever that grave may be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!

Re: closet - maybe somethings should never come out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!