Martin Endjala
The Minister of Presidential Affairs in the Presidency, Christine //Hoebes has come to the defence of the ruling party Swapo, saying that it has ensured that corruption is non-endemic or non-systemic in Namibia.
She said this in response to a motion tabled by the Popular Democratic Movement leader, McHenry Venaani last month on the investigation into the purported power struggle and impropriety at NAMCOR. //Hoebes now wants the PDM’s motion dismissed.
She stated that Venaani made several assertions that can only be referred to as incendiary and misguided.
“His claim that the inability of the Swapo Party government to tackle corruption within its ranks is turning the nation into a mafia state cannot go unchallenged,” she said.
She stated that this is an egregious statement and an affront to the Swapo Members of Parliament, some of whom she said have been in the fight for liberation and business of governance since she was a teenager.
She further argued that Venaani’s sweeping remarks are also a direct insult to many of those who have given their lives, firstly for the independence of the country and secondly, for the maintenance of peace, stability, unity and development in Namibia.
“To compare the Swapo Party to the Cosa Nostra, a terrorist-style criminal society that originated in the heartland of Sicily and was responsible for plunging many societies in Italy, America and elsewhere in the world, into total despair is a flagrant display of ignorance and dishonesty on the part of the Honourable Member and must be dismissed with the contempt it deserves. The history of Swapo in the fight for freedom and governing an independent country is unmatched,” she said.
She argued that Venaani might be too young to recall that his Party, previously DTA was collaborating with the Apartheid regime, which kept the majority of Namibians underdeveloped and poor.
//Hoebes, who came out guns blazing maintained that the Swapo Party Government, since independence has made it a priority to put in place structures that would ensure transparency and accountability as cornerstones of democracy.
“How many of you colleagues have paid a bribe to receive an identity document or to receive public services in Namibia? The fact that there is no one is a demonstration that corruption in Namibia is not endemic, nor is it systemic. Do not forget that telling lies is dishonesty as well as telling lies about your own country. It is unfortunate that there are those who are not patriotic enough and they continue to tell untruths about their own country. We should not destroy the good standing of our country,” she remarked.
She argued that the actions and interventions of the Namibian government are underscored by international independent rating agencies such as Transparency International, which has consistently ranked Namibia in the top tier of the least corrupt countries in its Corruption Perception Indexes (CPI), therefore, Namibians should distinguish between perceptions and the reality of corruption.
She is however, convinced that it is clear that Namibia’s determination to fight and address corruption is not only based on the national legislations and guidelines that are in place but is also informed by the International Community’s resolve to fight corruption.
There is consensus amongst the nations of the world, that corruption is a devastating crime which, if not addressed, erodes and damages any country’s gains, in all spheres of human endeavor.
“The government has therefore laid a foundation for effective governance and the prosperity of our citizens,” she said.
