Fellow Namibians:

As this country’s main human rights organization and looking at the current political situation in the country, we have decided to address this letter to every Namibian before it is too late.

It is again election time both in 2008 and 2009. Political parties are holding many public rallies around the country. In principle, this is a good thing for democracy, when especially political parties interact with the general public. It is also very important for political parties to inform the public about how they intend to solve problems relating to socio-economic injustice: such as gross inequities, income disparities and the inequitable delivery of essential services, such as education, health and housing.

However, the human rights organization is extremely concerned that, instead, some leaders of certain political parties use these rallies to promote hatred and fear among the people. This is done through political hate speech, fear-mongering and other incendiary forms of expression. This situation has currently led to dramatic increase in political intolerance and even violence in our country. This state of affairs is undesirable!

These high levels of political intolerance are also the reason why some of our wisest national leaders, such as President Lucas H Pohamba, Hidipo Hamutenya, Theo-Ben Gurirab and Jesaya Nyamu as well as the Inspector General of the Namibian Police Lt-General Sebastian Ndeitunga, have expressed concern about the escalating political intolerance in the country. They are warning the nation against the anarchy and mayhem as well as the violence or civil strife resulting from provocative conduct and political hate speech. Therefore there is a real possibility that political intolerance could plunge this country into civil strife.

What is political hate speech?

This is a category of speech or expression consisting of offensive, provocative, dehumanizing, abusive, exclusive and insulting language as well as incendiary remarks targeting certain individuals and groups because of their political affiliation or disaffiliation. Political hate speech is also intended to degrade, intimidate or incite violence or prejudicial action against people based on their race, ethnicity or tribal affiliation.

Furthermore, political hate speech is intended to demonize, silence, suppress, dehumanize, blackmail and isolate certain people. This is done in order to cover-up corruption and other misdeeds of especially the ruling elite in our country. The said elite appear eager to maintain their lucrative positions in the public service and or their profitable businesses in the private sector. Quite often this done at the expense of the poor and presently disadvantaged. Hence, through political hate speech, the rich are getting richer and the poor even poorer!

Political hate speech and other forms of intolerance become pronounced when some of our political leaders call other people bad names because that person is not or is no longer a member of one’s political party or because of his or her viewpoints. These leaders have no positive message to bring to the people. Instead, they rely on political hate speech and incitement to violence in order for them to maintain their privileged positions in the government and their businesses in the private and semi-private sectors of our economy.

Political hate speech also comes from hate-mongers and fear-mongers. Hate-mongers and fear-mongers are those people who badmouth and call other people bad names. They call other people bad names such as traitors, renegades, spies, agents, tribalists, imperialists, reactionaries, Judas Iscariots, puppets, geckos, cockroaches, enemy of the people, enemy of the peace, dogs of Botha, dogs of Nyamu, Kwanyamas, homosexuals, prostitutes, so-called this and so-called that as well as liars, botsotsos, criminals, ghosts, whirlwinds and so on.

Political hate speech is particularly used to instill fear in the minds of the unsuspecting general public. For example, some hate-mongers and fear-mongers use to tell their followers, supporters and sympathizers that if a certain political party comes to power, the war will return to Namibia; that the South African Casspir armored personnel carriers will also return Namibia. The people’s mahangu fields will be destroyed and so on.

This is not true at all! Namibia is free forever. The apartheid South African Casspirs will never again come back to Namibia! South Africa itself is also free forever. Botha is dead. Where will the South African Casspirs be coming from? As former President Sam Nujoma once said: “Namibia is free forever”. Nujoma is very right at least on this score!

Unfortunately, hate mongering and fear-mongering are also coming from some of our most senior political leaders. It appears that these political leaders are afraid of losing their privileged positions in the government and their businesses in the private sector.

Furthermore, the human rights organization has identified the existence of dangerous campaigns of political hate speech waged by some leaders of certain political parties in this country. Like political hate speech, this campaign is also marked by name-calling and the expression of hate through composing and singing hate songs, shouting hate slogans and hurling inflammatory epithets against political competitors. Political competitors are often labeled enemies. Therefore, the human rights organization is gravely concerned that this campaign of hatred and fear mongering might lead to civil conflict in our country.

Political hate speech is an enemy of freedom of expression and opinion! Freedom of expression and opinion is a cornerstone for democracy while hate expression is a time bomb against democracy.

We need freedom of expression and opinion in order to bring about genuine democracy and development in the country. To criticize someone constructively is freedom of expression and opinion. It is not the same as to insult someone. For example, to say Phil ya Nangoloh acts “corruptly” or acts “dictatorially”, this is mere criticism, not insult. However, it is hate speech and insult to say Phil ya Nangoloh is a homosexual, a criminal, a liar, a traitor, a cockroach, a house gecko, a dog of Botha, a mentally sick person, a devil and so on!

What to do about political hate speech?

One: Let us reject political hate speech and its mongers. A more appropriate response to hate-mongers and fear-mongers is to ignore and isolate them and thereby minimize the effect of their messages.

Two: Let us reject and fearlessly speak out against political hate speech and fear mongering. Individual citizens and groups must speak out against political hate speech in many ways, such as demonstrations, writing letters in the print media and voice their concerns through NBC and other radio talk shows, community meetings, at church services, at the work place, at school, at home and so on. All citizens have the responsibility to combat political hate speech before it is too late.

Three: Let us condemn hate-mongering in our homes, families, villages, communities, schools, colleges and universities and elsewhere. In many cases, the most effective response to political hate speech is to ignore the hate-mongers and fear-mongers with the contempt they deserve!

Four: Let us avoid those political leaders, regardless of their race, ethnicity or political affiliation, who use political rallies to promote fear and political hatred in our country. Let us not even attend their political rallies anymore. Let us ignore them. Let us even not vote for them!

Five: Report hate-mongers and fear-mongers to the Namibian Police, to the human rights organization and or expose them through the radio talk shows as well as through writing letters and opinion pieces in the print media. Let us make it totally unacceptable for them to propagate their hateful messages. Political hate speech is a gross violation of human rights!

There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a member, a supporter and or a sympathizer of APP, CoD, DTA, MAG, NMDC, NUDO, RDP, RP, SWANU, SWAPO Party and UDF and so on. As Jesaya Nyamu and Theo-Ben Gurirab had said: ‘Let us not treat our political opponents as enemies. Let us treat them only as competitors who are marketing their ideas and policy alternatives for the ballot box’.

Let us say NO to political hate speech and let us say NO to political intolerance in our country! Let us, all of us, have a common loyalty to one Namibian Constitution and the State. Let us put this Constitution and law before our respective political parties. Let us know, respect and defend the Namibian Constitution!

We do not need to hate each other and one another in any manner, whatsoever! We are one people and one Nation. As the say goes: “One Namibia, One Nation”!

Yours in the struggle for human rights, genuine democracy, tolerance and transparency,

Human Rights Defenders

National Society for Human Rights (NSHR)

Tel: (061) 253 447 or (061) 236 183