Don’t mess up our country

Swapo met last night to nominate its potential presidential candidates for the 2014 general elections.

But before we wish them luck in carrying out this important process that will affect all citizens of this country – we feel obliged to remind them to tread carefully.

The road to the presidency will be a bumpy one. There will be emotions, sweat and ultimately tears. Tears of joy or anguish.

Leadership must be such a sweet thing.

Campaigning by individual nominees will start soon, or so we are told. We urge the nominees to run clean electioneering campaigns.

This is necessary so that the country remains stable and safe for everyone.

Competitions for leadership are a sensitive process. Almost everywhere in Africa, innocent civilians have died because of such kind of leadership contests.

In Africa, contenders for top positions have many a time proved to care less for the outcome of their actions – as long as they eventually get what they want.

Let Namibia be an exception to this. All contenders for the Swapo presidential candidacy are individuals of note - people with strong liberation struggle credentials who would not compromise the state of the nation for anything.

None of these fellows would surely want to fall from grace - hero to villain.
And there is an easy way to avoid this.

Campaign clean and do not have the blood of innocent Namibians on your hands.

Thousands of citizens in neighbouring Angola died because of the war between the MPLA and UNITA – over ambitions to lead that country.

In Zimbabwe, millions of citizens have left the country because of the economic instability brought on by the leadership tussle between Zanu-PF and various formations of the MDC.

When leadership battles don’t observe the protocol and the need for peace and tranquility – it essentially means a country is heading in a very dangerous direction.

The Ivory Coast is one such recent example.

Swapo knows this well and we hope the leadership will direct the process in a way that will ensure Namibia remains a pillar of not only democracy, but social and economic stability too.

Swapo leaders are all preachers of democracy. But whether all those leaders mean what they preach is not known. If they are true democrats, this is the time to show it.

They must campaign peacefully and accept the results as they will come out in early December.
For the good of their party and our country.