Kandjemuni Kamuiiri
Four political parties and Ovaherero Traditional Authority (OTA) as well as the Nama Traditional Leaders Association (NTLA), have repeated their chorus rejection of the Joint Declaration at a media conference at the Ovaherero Commando Hall.
The OTA and NTLA repeated this chorus together with the National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo), the Landless People’s Movement (LPM), and the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC). Nudo’s, Ester Muinjangue as well as the other political and local representatives maintained their position and shared their sentiments on the reconciliation deal and the way forward.
“We are jointly rejecting the Joint German-Namibia Declaration which is about to be signed in Namibian Parliament,” Secretary General of NTLA, Deodat Dirkse, says. “Government cannot discuss what is about us without us, anything about us, without us, is against us,” he states. He adds that the deal reflects crime denial and they want to get rid of this so-called “Reconciliation Agreement”.
LMP leader, Bernadus Swartbooi, says the Government does not have the jurisdiction for the reconciliation deal as if they have been there the whole time. “Where was Government at the start of it all, Government has no jurisdiction to take upon the reconciliation deal as if they were there the whole time,” Swartbooi states.
President, Hage Geingob in 2020 rejected the ten million Euro Germany offered and called it an insult. He said ‘First they offered €10 million (euros) … honestly it is an insult.”
A petition on no Bilateral Genocide Negotiations states that in 2006 the then Paramount Chief of the Ovaherero tabled a motion in Parliament for Ovaherero and Nama people to directly negotiate with Germany for reparations with the Namibian government as a mediator. “It was more of a supporting role. But then the Namibian government turned away from that resolution altogether, excluded the Ovaherero and the Nama people, negotiated directly with Germany,” descendants from the affected communities states.
The declaration constitutes the rendering of an apology and the payment of €1.1bn for development projects in Namibia over the next 30 years by the Federal Republic of Germany.
It would then be signed by the foreign ministers of Namibia and Germany. Once, signed, the Joint Declaration will be brought to the National Assembly for ratification.
