Helmut blasts Swapo’s ‘slow thinkers’
• Says constitution could have been amended
The man at the centre of the contentious amendments says Swapo had years to accommodate its technocrats into the congress race.
STAFF REPORTER
WINDHOEK
Swapo veteran Helmut Angula said the party’s ‘slow thinkers’ who wanted to accommodate the youth and technocrats into its presidential race had ample time to deal with the prohibitive nature of the ‘Helmut Amendments’, but failed to do so.
The amendments prohibit those who have not served in the central committee for 10 consecutive years from vying for the sought-after position of vice-president, whose winner is highly likely to become Namibia’s next head of state.
Angula chaired the committee that came up with the amendments in 2017, hence their reference to his name. Some Swapo members protested the nominations of mines and energy minister Tom Alweendo and his defence counterpart Frans Kapofi for the vice-president position, saying their inclusion as candidates was unconstitutional.
Alweendo, a former governor of the central bank, did not garner enough votes to formally join the race, while Kapofi withdrew five days later as pressure piled upon him. He said he was withdrawing because he did not want to be seen as having been ‘bulldozed’ into the running.
Party veteran Jerry Ekandjo also threatened to drag the party to court over its original inclusion of the two ministers.
Other Swapo members believe the country needs a technocratic head of state, and the two ministers represented that breed.
Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta and international relations minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah remain in the race for vice-president. The winner automatically becomes the party candidate in the 2024 national presidential election.
‘No one did anything’
Angula, speaking on The Evening Review yesterday, said if Swapo genuinely wanted more of its technocrats in the race, it had the time and tools to accommodate them.
“Some people are just slow thinkers because there are various ways in which we could have accommodated some of the notable people in society who can make a good contribution,” he said.
“If the head of the party knew the potential of these people, there was nothing preventing [him] from nominating them to the central committee,” the former director-general of the National Planning Commission said.
“Some of our technocrats served in government for more than 10 years, and in that period, it never clicked that these people could be promoted to the central committee.”
Angula said complaints about the amendments started in 2019, but nothing has been done to rectify what was seen to be problematic in the party’s constitution.
“No one has done anything in order to accommodate knowledgeable cadres. The constitution provides for an extraordinary congress to allow for relaxation of the provisions or expanding the provisions so that people of other backgrounds – such as those who served in government or the military - could be accommodated in the race.”
Long-term planning
“One way to do so would have been to say if you served less years in the central committee but you have served the party in other capacities, such as the military, you need endorsements from, say, six regions to qualify as candidate.”
The veteran said Swapo should also adopt a habit of long-term planning for the sustenance of the party and the country.
“One of the ways to accommodate military veterans was to incorporate the veterans’ association into the party 20 or 30 years ago. And accord them quotas on the central committee like we did with the Swapo-affiliated unions. Again, we were slow thinkers with that.”
“You can’t now come at the last minute and want to put the party constitution aside. Because the next thing you will see is people setting aside the country’s constitution to accommodate individual aspirations,” he said.
Angula added that the idea behind the 2017 amendments was to curb materialism and opportunism by party members – some of whom joined Swapo from opposition parties and might harbour clandestine intentions if they sprung to top positions in the party.
“It was not to prevent party technocrats or the youth from competing, but to keep opportunists at bay.”
WINDHOEK
Swapo veteran Helmut Angula said the party’s ‘slow thinkers’ who wanted to accommodate the youth and technocrats into its presidential race had ample time to deal with the prohibitive nature of the ‘Helmut Amendments’, but failed to do so.
The amendments prohibit those who have not served in the central committee for 10 consecutive years from vying for the sought-after position of vice-president, whose winner is highly likely to become Namibia’s next head of state.
Angula chaired the committee that came up with the amendments in 2017, hence their reference to his name. Some Swapo members protested the nominations of mines and energy minister Tom Alweendo and his defence counterpart Frans Kapofi for the vice-president position, saying their inclusion as candidates was unconstitutional.
Alweendo, a former governor of the central bank, did not garner enough votes to formally join the race, while Kapofi withdrew five days later as pressure piled upon him. He said he was withdrawing because he did not want to be seen as having been ‘bulldozed’ into the running.
Party veteran Jerry Ekandjo also threatened to drag the party to court over its original inclusion of the two ministers.
Other Swapo members believe the country needs a technocratic head of state, and the two ministers represented that breed.
Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta and international relations minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah remain in the race for vice-president. The winner automatically becomes the party candidate in the 2024 national presidential election.
‘No one did anything’
Angula, speaking on The Evening Review yesterday, said if Swapo genuinely wanted more of its technocrats in the race, it had the time and tools to accommodate them.
“Some people are just slow thinkers because there are various ways in which we could have accommodated some of the notable people in society who can make a good contribution,” he said.
“If the head of the party knew the potential of these people, there was nothing preventing [him] from nominating them to the central committee,” the former director-general of the National Planning Commission said.
“Some of our technocrats served in government for more than 10 years, and in that period, it never clicked that these people could be promoted to the central committee.”
Angula said complaints about the amendments started in 2019, but nothing has been done to rectify what was seen to be problematic in the party’s constitution.
“No one has done anything in order to accommodate knowledgeable cadres. The constitution provides for an extraordinary congress to allow for relaxation of the provisions or expanding the provisions so that people of other backgrounds – such as those who served in government or the military - could be accommodated in the race.”
Long-term planning
“One way to do so would have been to say if you served less years in the central committee but you have served the party in other capacities, such as the military, you need endorsements from, say, six regions to qualify as candidate.”
The veteran said Swapo should also adopt a habit of long-term planning for the sustenance of the party and the country.
“One of the ways to accommodate military veterans was to incorporate the veterans’ association into the party 20 or 30 years ago. And accord them quotas on the central committee like we did with the Swapo-affiliated unions. Again, we were slow thinkers with that.”
“You can’t now come at the last minute and want to put the party constitution aside. Because the next thing you will see is people setting aside the country’s constitution to accommodate individual aspirations,” he said.
Angula added that the idea behind the 2017 amendments was to curb materialism and opportunism by party members – some of whom joined Swapo from opposition parties and might harbour clandestine intentions if they sprung to top positions in the party.
“It was not to prevent party technocrats or the youth from competing, but to keep opportunists at bay.”
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