Controversy over "founding father" status for Nujoma

A move by Namibia's ruling party, the South West African People's Organisation (SWAPO), to confer the status of "Founding Father" on former president Sam Nujoma has sparked heated debate in the national assembly.

The bill was proposed by members of Nujoma's party and is expected to be passed by the house this week.

During the final debate on the bill on Friday, SWAPO said it was a necessary recognition of the role played by the former president during the struggle for independence.

However, Ben Ulenga, president of the opposition Congress of Democrats (COD), accused SWAPO of trying to rewrite history and portray the war for independence as a one-man struggle waged by Nujoma.

While nobody disputed the leading role Nujoma had played in the liberation and post-colonial history of the country, Ulenga said the conferment of "Founding Father" status on one man would overshadow the contributions of countless others.

"Namibians are a great nation of equals, not underlings. All the sons and daughters of this country fought equally in the struggle; we must be careful not to heap accolades on individuals and forget the contribution of the majority in national liberation. This bill has a dubious meaning and suspicious intentions. It is in extremely bad taste," Ulenga told IRIN.

He believed that the national assembly did not have the authority to confer such status and modify the legal relationship between an individual and the state.

The fact that Nujoma was still active in politics, as leader of SWAPO, was another factor to consider, the COD claimed.

"We are being asked to confer the status of "Founding Father" on a person, who, by virtue of being an active president of SWAPO, will castigate his political opponents - his supposed children - on a political platform. I think a father should love all his children and treat them equally," COD deputy president Schimming Chase told IRIN.

COD secretary-general Kalla Gertze added that "we would have loved to have a father who could lend an ear to the many people whose lives were shattered under Nujoma's leadership".

Presidential Affairs minister Albert Kawana defended the bill as a national and not a SWAPO issue, saying the former president would accept the honour on behalf of all Namibians, regardless of political affiliation.

"The bill does not belong to any party or individual. The founding president has accepted honours on behalf of all Namibians before, because it is not possible for a leader to succeed without the support of the people. Even as SWAPO president, Nujoma has always struggled to promote the interests of all Namibians," Kawana noted.

Despite vocal opposition, debate on the bill ended on Friday, and it was anticipated that the national assembly would pass it during Tuesday's session. It will then be referred to the national council and, if the council approves, will become law.

Nujoma was Namibia's first president at independence in 1990, and was subsequently re-elected by overwhelming majorities in 1994 and 1999, serving until 2005. He has led SWAPO since its formation in 1960.