Graham Hopwood in Windhoek
NAMIBIAN President Sam Nujoma has given his clearest signal yet that he will stand for a third term as head of state, despite the fact that the Constitution limits the incumbent to two terms.
He told Parliament last week: “I am still young and if the people of Namibia want me to continue making a contribution I will continue to do so.”
He was responding to a question from Democratic Coalition of Namibia leader, Moses Katjiuongua, as to whether he would follow Nelson Mandela’s example and give clear notice of his intention to stand down to ensure a stable handover.
“You can see the difference between me and President Nelson Mandela,” the 67-year old Nujoma said, to the sound vigorous table thumbing from MPs from the ruling party, the South West African People’s Organisation (Swapo).
Expectations that the third term would become a fait accompli hardened when a Swapo council last month called on him to serve as president “as long as he was medically fit”.
It is now expected that Swapo’s congress, due in May, will endorse the proposal, paving the way for the party to use its parliamentary majority to push through a constitutional amendment.
At present, article 29 of the Constitution limits the president to a maximum of two five-year terms.
Nujoma’s words have set off alarm bells among the opposition, human rights groups, and Western diplomats, who have criticised Nujoma for making the third term an issue of age, rather than constitutional principle.
The National Society for Human Rights said in a statement: “It is not the age of a president but the constitutional provisions and restrictions which matter. If this was not the case then United States President Bill Clinton would remain in power until he reaches the age of Nelson Mandela.”
A group of former Swapo members detained by the movement in exile, called on Nujoma to drop his commitment to a third term and instead promote the importance of Article 29 of the Constitution to ensure a smooth handover of presidential powers.
The chairman of the Breaking the Wall of Silence group, Samson Ndeikwila, said it was a myth that Namibia has nobody capable of taking over from Nujoma. “The truth is that there are people in Namibia who can and will perform the same or even better than President Nujoma.”
An unnamed European diplomat told The Namibian newspaper that Nujoma’s intention to stand again was “very worrying,” as Namibia had been regarded as a democratic role model.
Nujoma’s announcement was made without consultation with other leading figures in Swapo, according to party insiders.
Despite concern within Swapo’s top echelons about Nujoma’s unilateral decision, no one is expected to break ranks and oppose the proposed change to the Constitution at next month’s party congress.
Many members of Swapo are luke-warm about a third term for Nujoma, but feel it would avoid ugly in-fighting between possible successors, which may open up ethnic tensions within the party.