Statement by Hon. Albert Kawana on the occasion of the SPYL Central Committee meeting in Okahandja, 20th February 2010

Dear Comrade and Friend, Dr Elijah Ngurare - Secretary of the SPYL
Dear Comrade Juta Shikomba - Deputy Secretary of the SPYL
Dear Comrades, Members of the National Executive Committee
Dear Comrades, Members of the Central Committee
Dear Comrade Steve Bantu Biko Booys– Candidate for Okahandja Constituency by-Elections.
Dear Comrades Martin “The Dogg” Morocky and Lazarus “Gazza” Shiimi.
Dear Comrades, Members, Supporters and Sympathizers of the SWAPO Party
Members of the media
Ladies and Gentleman

It is a great honour and privilege for me to have been invited to address the transmission belt of our Mighty SWAPO PARTY, members of the Central Committee of the SWAPO PARTY Youth League. I bring you fraternal greetings from the President of the SWAPO PARTY and of the Republic of Namibia, His Excellency Hifikepunye Pohamba.

Dear Comrades,
Allow me also to take the occasion of this platform to, on behalf of our President and my colleagues in the Central Committee and its Politburo, extend once again the Party’s gratitude to the SWAPO Party Youth league for your critical role in delivering a resounding electoral victory to the SWAPO Party and its Presidential Candidate, His Excellency Comrade Hifikepunye Pohamba during the 2009 Presidential and National Assembly elections.

The leadership of the Party is proud of the role played by each one of you, who have contributed time and made sacrifices to the campaign. Undoubtedly, it was your effort that delivered the most important political constituency of the youth to the SWAPO Party, for this the Party shall be forever grateful. The 2009 National and Presidential elections as expected were indeed a youthful election in that more young people than ever before took part in these elections. In addition, it was the first elections in our nation’s history, where young people born after the liberation struggle were able to vote.

Dear Comrades,
The task of the SWAPO Party Youth League is today as important as that of the movement during the struggle for the liberation of our motherland. In fact, considering the current global disposition and onslaught in which former liberation movements in Southern Africa find themselves in, I would say, we now need more than ever before, a much more militant and ideologically cogent Youth League in the Party. The SWAPO Party Youth League is by constitution, the transmitting belt for the Party’s ideology, policies and programmes, thus making the ‘SWAPO Party Youth League” the core body in respect of the Party’s continued survival and strengthening.

While the SPYL has been outspoken in its rejection of neo imperialism, I wish to implore that in the future, you must reject with the same contempt the rising re-emergence of pseudo democratic tendencies masquerading as democratic tolerant practices which neo-liberalism represents. The youth must remain unashamed of defending our revolution, its leaders and our ideology.

There is no shame in defending the Party that you love, there is no shame in seeking African solutions to African problems and there is certainly no shame despite what opposition forces and their reactionary sponsors may say about SWAPO, in fact we remain the most democratic formation in the history of Namibia, I challenge anyone to name me one other political Party that can match SWAPO’s democratic credentials? There is none.

You will recall, dear Comrades, that some of the opposition political parties in Namibia have avoided holding congresses on the pretex of Presidential and National Assembly elections. Today, these same parties want to lecture us about the values of democracy, shame on them. No wonder today they are part of what others call scrap yard coalition. It is common knowledge that the democratic culture of the SWAPO Party allows every member of the Party to freely express his or her views provided that such expression is done within the appropriate structures of the Party. Therefore, this is your right which is guaranteed under Article IV(c)(l)(f) of the SWAPO PARTY Constitution. I therefore, urge you, dear Comrades to exercise your rights within the letter and spirit of the Party Constitution. As long as you follow established constitutional procedures, you will always enjoy my support.

Let us express our views through established channels and defend the interests of our nation and of our Party. Liberation movements in Southern Africa are today under the same threat as they were during the days of the liberation struggle. Neo liberalism and neo-imperialism are today as hell-bent as they were in the days of the liberation struggle in propping up undemocratic puppet regimes through the medium of regime change. Those who have intentions for regime change in Namibia must know that here in the Land of the Brave , the bravery of our people is legendary and unwavering. We are the children of Hendrik Witbooi, of Samuel Maharero, of Nehale lya Mpingana, of Mandume ya Ndemufayo a legendary youth King and hero of Namibia, of Jakob Marengo, of Ipumbu ya Shilongo, of Hosea Kutako, of Sam Nujoma, of Hifikepunye Pohamba, of Nathanael Maxwilili, of Brendan Simbwaye, of Kakurukaze Mungunda amongst many others. Here in the Land of the Brave we do not waver, here we say accept us as we are, or get out!!!

Dear Comrades,
It is an open secret that the people of Africa endured many hardships in the hands of capitalism. During the slave trade, millions of Africans perished and those who survived and found themselves outside the Continent became private property. Their death was recorded on the balance sheet as loss of profit. Those slave owners who shed tears did so not because of the death of a human-being, but because of loss of profit on their balance sheet. Today, we are being told by perpetrators of human and economic genocide the values of democracy. This to me is nothing but hypocrisy of the highest order.

The advert of colonialism saw the unprecedented looting of Africa’s natural resources. Africans became poor in a very rich continent. From the days of our fore-bearers, the heroes and heroines of the earlier struggle, to the modern national liberation struggle waged by our SWAPO PARTY, the aim and objective of the struggle was very clear. It was to gain freedom and independence as well as to preserve the natural resources of our country for the benefit of our nation and future generation. We achieved political independence but the war for economic independence has just started.

We can NOT and we will NOT accept the fact that our people remain poor in a rich country. To accept such a situation would amount to a betrayal of our heroes and heroines who died during the wars of our liberation, starting with the wars of our fore-bearers. We will be regarded as traitors of the highest order. Our demand for black economic empowerment is made without apology. To benefit from the natural resources of our country is NOT a privilege but a BIRTH RIGHT.

We are also aware that those who are hardest hit by unemployment and poverty are the youth, women, peasants in rural areas and those citizens in informal settlements.

Your demand for equitable sharing of this nation’s natural resources is legitimate and supported without reservation. Therefore in line with our 2009 SWAPO Party Election Manifesto which is the Party’s contract with the Namibian people, programmes aimed at addressing the socio-economic plight of our youth must be implemented without fail. It is against this background that our President, Hifikepunye Pohamba has warned that there will be no business as usual. I have no doubt, dear Comrades, that you will be one of those foot soldiers who will be at the battle front against poverty and unemployment.

Let us declare anew the war for economic emancipation with special emphasis on previously disadvantaged Namibians. Let us support and continue the implementation of the pro-poor national budget.

Dear Comrades,
To the best of my knowledge, the SWAPO Party Government is interested in paying more than mere lip service to the ideal of youth empowerment in Namibia. We have, over the past two decades, done much to bequeath a foundation for the youth of our country to take up the mantle.

The SWAPO Party Government has invested substantially in education, skills development and enhancing the capacity of our higher educational institutions. We do realize that much more needs to be done in this regard.

Further, the establishment of the National Youth Service in 2005 and the recent Gazetting of the National Youth Council Act are but two instances in which we have shown the SWAPO Party Government’s steadfast resolve in building youth development institutions.

It is the hope of our Government that the National Youth Council should serve as the official National Youth Representative body through which young people and youth organizations will channel their engagement with the State. Fundamentally, the Government intended that the National Youth Service of Namibia be a platform through which large numbers of Namibia’s youth would be absorbed through voluntary service and thereby contributing to the development of infrastructure, food production and other key national projects.

Again here we shall be guided by the SWAPO Party Youth League congress resolutions and decisions in respect of the future prospects and direction of the National Youth Service.

Additionally, the leadership of the Party notes your continuous pleas for an integrated youth development approach and recommits itself to realize a better integrated youth development programmes and projects. We are committed to ensuring that the NYC plays the role of youth representative and key policy making body. These have been your pleas which I fully support.

I have no doubt that within the established channels of our Party, we shall seek all means at its disposal to allow your views to be incorporated into this broad scheme of things.

Dear Comrades,
With respect to youth empowerment, I wish only to reiterate the assurances of the President of the Republic of Namibia and of the SWAPO Party His Excellency Hifikepunye Pohamba that youth development will continue to play a leading role in the approach of the SWAPO Party Government in the delivery of Government services. Specifically we have noted your request in relation to an expended but integrated Youth Credit Scheme able to back youth businesses.

We also note your call for the creation of a grant making facility through which youth organizations, youth clubs, schools and young people in general can get access to grants for community and youth development.

In conclusion comrades, the SWAPO Party leadership notes the continued growth of the SWAPO Party Youth league under the current leadership of the Youth league, we note that your consistent and constant engagement with young people is a key and important strategy for Party growth; we remain steadfast in helping the youth league to meet its growth objectives, as a strong SWAPO Party Youth League, shall ultimately lead to a stronger SWAPO Party.

Just like a successful farmer who does not forget to keep seeds for the next planting season to achieve even a better harvest, the strength of the SWAPO PARTY is principally dependent on the strength of the SWAPO Party Youth League.

May I conclude by saying that benefiting from the natural resources of our country is not a privilege but rather our BIRTH RIGHT. We will relentlessly pursue this economic war knowing full well that we have foot soldiers in the name of the SWAPO Party Youth League.

This is the war we can not afford to take prisoners and we do not intend to offer apology to anybody.

Finally, I wish to remind you to be vigilant against HIV/AIDS, alcohol and drug abuse and continue to educate your fellow youth against these dangers. We want a healthy nation that will take this country forward.

I wish you, dear Comrades, a fruitful, constructive, and successful deliberations in the spirit of the SWAPO PARTY motto of ONE NAMIBIA ONE NATION!

SWAPO! UNITED
SWAPO! VICTORIOUS
NOW! HARD WORK

I thank you.