Africa-Press – Namibia. EXECUTIVE director of the Institute for Public Policy Research Graham Hopwood has called on the Commonwealth to do away with its colonial origins and focus more on good governance.
His sentiments came as Namibia and other members of the Commonwealth celebrated Commonwealth Day yesterday, under the theme: ‘Delivering a Common Future: Con- necting, Innovating, Transforming’.
“Over time, Britain should not be the host of the Commonwealth, maybe it will be sensible in the future to rotate all the leader- ship’s positions among countries,” he said. Hopwood said the Commonwealth should not have Queen Elizabeth II as its head.
“Such prominence should move away because as long as the queen is the head of the Commonwealth, it still has a colo- nial element to it. It still has some kind of link to the British empire which would be inappropriate in the 21st century,” he said.
Hopwood said the British connection should become less and be joined to countries that have shared values around democracy and human rights. “I think it’s probably still a worthwhile organisation, but it needs to be moved,” he said.
Commenting on the significance of the day, president Hage Geingob said Namibia continues to adhere to the grouping’s shared goals of prosperity, democracy and peace.
In his speech, he said Namibia recognised the importance of connectivity, innovation and transformation as key elements to deliver on Namibia’s future goals, in line with the objectives of the Commonwealth.
“As per our Harambee Prosperity Plan II, we endeavour to redress inequality, alleviate poverty and create employment opportuni- ties, especially for the youth,” he said. Delivering a message from Queen Eliza- beth II, speaker of the National Assembly Peter Katjavivi read:
“That the Commonwealth stands ever taller is a credit to all who have been in- volved. We are nourished and sustained by our relationships and, throughout my life, I have enjoyed the privilege of hearing what the relationships built across the great reach and diversity of the Commonwealth have meant to people and communities.”
The queen said the Commonwealth re- mains an influential force for good in the world for many generations to come. Ambassador Kaire Mbuende said the Commonwealth helped develop Namibia’s capacity.
“The Commonwealth provided training to many Namibians before and after inde- pendence. It also provided support to many ministries, including education and justice, and seconded various experts to help develop capacity,” he said.
Mbuende said the Com- monwealth is not a negotiat- ing forum but contributes to preparing its members for progress on the appropriate fora. “I regard the Common- wealth as an important multi- lateral forum. It set up working groups to try and resolve political impasses in countries like Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Fiji,” he said.
Mbuende added that Com- monwealth platforms should be used to fight against, among other things, racism. “The Commonwealth is not the British embassy, because many members of the Commonwealth do not regard the queen as their head of state.
“What happens in Britain should not affect our attitude towards the Common- wealth,” he said.
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