Africa-Press – Namibia. LEADER of the official opposition McHenry Venaani has called on president Hage Geingob to reveal the names of Swapo members who are involved in corrupt practices.
The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) president said at a press conference yesterday Geingob, while addressing the seventh Swapo congress delegates, claimed he was aware of Swapo members who were involved in corruption 20 years ago.
According to Venaani, Geingob hinted that despite being aware of the corrupt Swapo members, the party decided to turn a blind eye but the same members are now going on about the Fishrot scandal.
“The president was telling delegates of Swapo that ‘some of you are talking about Fishrot, but had we gone 20 years ago, many of you would be in prison’,” Venaani said.
He questioned why president Geingob would make such a claim without taking action against those who he allegedly knew were involved in corrupt practices.
“The president is saying the ruling party has looked away in 20 years from people who were corrupt; that he knows these people are supposed to be in prison and know themselves. Now, I want the president to walk the talk and release the names of the people who are supposed to be in prison,” Venaani said.
Venaani said if Geingob does not release the names of the alleged corrupt Swapo members, he is cementing claims that Swapo is a corrupt, kleptocratic regime.
“A president cannot say something like that in the public domain and not be taken on. And I want to take you on, if it is true. When he was saying it, he meant it. I know president Geingob personally, I know when he jokes and I know when he is serious,” Venaani said.
He urged Geingob to take the anti-corruption initiative by dismantling the corruption architecture and revealing the names of his corrupt comrades.
Two weeks ago, PDM gave the government 60 days to establish a whistleblower protection office. In the absence of this, the party said it would institute legal action against the government.
Yesterday, Venaani reiterated that the government keeps stalling operationalising the Whistleblower Protection Act, which was passed five years ago.
“Swapo does not want to bring a whistleblower office into operation, claiming there are no resources, because the president of this country knows there are people in his congress that are supposed to be in prison. But he allows these people to be in his Cabinet, he allows them in his party,” he said.
Venaani said for as long as Geingob withholds the names of alleged corrupt Swapo members and delays the establishment of a whistleblower office, the argument that Swapo is corrupt is being cemented.
Geingob’s office had not responded to the allegations at the time of going to press.
GENOCIDE
Venaani further addressed Germany’s 1904 to 1908 genocide against the Herero and Nama people, saying he has written to Pope Francis to hold Germany and the Deutsche Bank, who he accuses of funding colonial operations during the colonial era, accountable.
“I have lobbied the Catholic church and written to the cardinal of Munich and the pope. They are not responding, they are mum because they are playing ostrich politics. But now we have extended our lobbying to the economic sector of Germany,” Venaani said.
He has called on Germany’s economic sector to intervene and lobby for justice for the affected communities.
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