Too late to discard Helmut Amendments - Sankwasa
Former deputy minister of works and transport Sankwasa James Sankwasa says it is too late for the Swapo constitution, as amended at the 2018 extraordinary congress, to be changed again ahead of this year’s elective congress.
He described those who are now calling for the amendments to the party’s constitution - especially those proposed by party veteran Helmut Angula – to be discarded as “hand-clappers” who went to the 2018 extraordinary congress with no ideas.
“It’s too late. It indicates that Swapo members who attended the extraordinary congress never applied their minds to issues. We are just there for ‘viva, viva Swapo’,” Sankwasa told Namibian Sun.
The so-called Helmut Amendments seek to keep ‘opportunists’ at bay by ensuring that those contesting for high positions in the party, including for president, have served on the central committee for 10 consecutive years, among other requirements.
They must also be a member of the party for a minimum of 20 uninterrupted years.
Swapo, at a central committee meeting held a week ago, decided to keep the constitution as is.
This counts in favour of early front runner Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who seeks to become the party’s presidential candidate for the 2024 national presidential election.
Amending the constitution would open up more competition against her.
Straitjacket thinking
“If we applied our minds in 2018; if we had not put on straitjacket type of thinking, we could have picked up these challenges already and not put them as part of the constitution,” Sankwasa said.
“We should have objected, but because whenever we attend congress or a politburo meeting, we always want to go for handclapping without applying our minds to issues.”
“So, people who want things to be amended were people who were elected at the congress in 2017. Why did they not foresee these things? For now, it is too late. We were all there. If we see the need now, we need to follow the same procedure,” he said.
He further questioned who or which party structure has the power to amend the constitution, saying it can only be changed by the congress.
“The question is: Who is going to amend the constitution? Because the central committee has no power to amend, the politburo has no power to amend. The constitution can only be amended by the congress. So, any proposed amendment can only be discussed by the congress that is coming - if there will be space for it - or another extraordinary congress before or after the congress,” he argued.
Artificial barrier
The amendments, which were proposed by Angula and adopted by the 2018 extraordinary congress, are seen by many as an artificial barrier to fair contestation.
As matters stand, Nandi-Ndaitwah seems to be in the clear lead, with no obvious opponents in the race to find a State House replacement for President Hage Geingob.
Critics of the current constitution deem the amendments a ploy by senior party members to shut the door on younger contestants, amid calls for the old guard to gradually exit party positions and allow for the infusion of younger blood.
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He described those who are now calling for the amendments to the party’s constitution - especially those proposed by party veteran Helmut Angula – to be discarded as “hand-clappers” who went to the 2018 extraordinary congress with no ideas.
“It’s too late. It indicates that Swapo members who attended the extraordinary congress never applied their minds to issues. We are just there for ‘viva, viva Swapo’,” Sankwasa told Namibian Sun.
The so-called Helmut Amendments seek to keep ‘opportunists’ at bay by ensuring that those contesting for high positions in the party, including for president, have served on the central committee for 10 consecutive years, among other requirements.
They must also be a member of the party for a minimum of 20 uninterrupted years.
Swapo, at a central committee meeting held a week ago, decided to keep the constitution as is.
This counts in favour of early front runner Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who seeks to become the party’s presidential candidate for the 2024 national presidential election.
Amending the constitution would open up more competition against her.
Straitjacket thinking
“If we applied our minds in 2018; if we had not put on straitjacket type of thinking, we could have picked up these challenges already and not put them as part of the constitution,” Sankwasa said.
“We should have objected, but because whenever we attend congress or a politburo meeting, we always want to go for handclapping without applying our minds to issues.”
“So, people who want things to be amended were people who were elected at the congress in 2017. Why did they not foresee these things? For now, it is too late. We were all there. If we see the need now, we need to follow the same procedure,” he said.
He further questioned who or which party structure has the power to amend the constitution, saying it can only be changed by the congress.
“The question is: Who is going to amend the constitution? Because the central committee has no power to amend, the politburo has no power to amend. The constitution can only be amended by the congress. So, any proposed amendment can only be discussed by the congress that is coming - if there will be space for it - or another extraordinary congress before or after the congress,” he argued.
Artificial barrier
The amendments, which were proposed by Angula and adopted by the 2018 extraordinary congress, are seen by many as an artificial barrier to fair contestation.
As matters stand, Nandi-Ndaitwah seems to be in the clear lead, with no obvious opponents in the race to find a State House replacement for President Hage Geingob.
Critics of the current constitution deem the amendments a ploy by senior party members to shut the door on younger contestants, amid calls for the old guard to gradually exit party positions and allow for the infusion of younger blood.
[email protected]
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