Why does the law not protect the sitting President?

By Martin (Bazooka) Nanyemba

c) Whose job is it to protect the President?

As people who participated in the liberation struggle at different levels, we should be conscious that an “injury to one is an injury to all”. An attack on our President is an attack on all of us who elected him democratically. The President’s fall from power, will be our (the voters +supporters) fall from power, as well as the ruling SWAPO party.
On that day, eco fascists, tribalists, racists, and all sorts of counter-revolutionaries and extremists will reign supreme in the Land of the Brave, and undo the 30 year old Namibian House Project of Inclusivity, Unity Freedom and Peace. The fact that the President is regularly insulted by various youths, some of them downright delinquents and others, intellectually confused pseudo-revolutionaries, to the point of being called a dog, and nothing is done to rein in and punish these young restless and wicked minds, is unacceptable hogwash. Is it because some of the Ministers and officials appointed in positions of power, having the resources to stop such nonsense, lack the ability to discern the threat of the prevalent atmosphere, or because they believe that it is a normal feature of the Namibian democracy? Or simply because they don’t care an iota since they owe no loyalty and allegiance to the President?
If anyone (including the retired old veterans who are no longer in power) in the ruling circles think that they will be left unscathed or will benefit from reputational damage to the President, they need to have their brains examined exhaustively because all of them without exception, will be swept away into an inglorious and dishonourable history and their glorious liberation struggle history undone instantly, by the anti-SWAPO party hurricane like reactionary forces at work now. Whichever, the reasons, guiding the inaction of those who are supposed to be the gatemen and women protecting the President, to ensure that the centre holds under the onslaught, clearly practical action is required.
If a law needs to be promulgated, political demonstrations, the cartoonist and his newspaper to be need to be called out and shamed, or changes to be made to protect sitting presidents, that should be done now. Who should initiate work in this regard? The Attorney-General, the Minister of Justice, Minister of Information, or the Minister of Safety and Security? I submit that any undertaking in this regard be done by the government collective leadership and the SWAPO party, except the President, whose subordinate leaders must demonstrate to the Namibian voters who voted him into power, their solid allegiance and camaraderie to him in ACTION, by closing ranks around him.
Unquestionably, first and most important line of defence for the President is foremost from the ranks of those loyal, tested and committed cadres whom he has chosen to be in his Cabinet including the Vice President, Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and all ministers. These are his gatemen and women who should not be told, why, how or when to defend their President. That should come naturally and automatically whenever he is under undue political threat. Their interests should be subordinated to the inclusivity and prosperity vision of the President.
Apart from ensuring that executive directors and civil servants implement 100% the President’s vision at government level, they too should be the active agents and promoters of that vision. And should not allow regionalists, tribal and racists dealings in the line of their work and appointments at staff and board level. It is an understatement that the prevailing public impressions are that with rare exceptions, whenever the President is insulted or unduly attacked, hardly a murmur of objection can be heard from this first line of defence. Rather some are more vocal on secondary issues of little political significance and relevance.

d) Key Defenders of the President

The second line of defence is typically from the SWAPO party leadership including the SWAPO party vice president, secretary general, deputy secretary general, regional coordinators, the wings such as the women, elders and the youth, as well as the Politburo and the Central Committee between the congresses. The President represents the hopes, ideals and aspirations of the entire party rank and file, thus an injury to him is an injury to SWAPO.
Someone needs to activate the party machinery into action, to close ranks: Hands off our President! Because the demise of the SWAPO party President will spell the demise of SWAPO itself, thus the party faithful have a vested interest to protect the President. It is unfortunately said by commentators that this second line too is as quiet as a church mouse in this regard.

* Look out for Part3 of this article in our next edition