TABBY MOYO, Windhoek | Tuesday 12.15pm.
NAMIBIAN Minister Nangolo Mbumba on Monday defended his government’s budgeted N$30-million to support Namibia’s military intervention in the Democratic Republic of Congo conflict as an “investment in democracy”.
Responding to concerns raised by members of the National Assembly on the 1998-99 additional budget, Mbumba acknowledged that the military intervention is a “substantial expenditure”. He contended, however, that numerous countries had materially and financially assisted Swapo during the liberation struggle and in bringing democracy to Namibia.
“While admitting that war has never been an inexpensive exercise, we acknowledge that numerous countries across the globe materially and financially assisted Swapo over decades to fight the liberation struggle and to bring democracy to Namibia. To deny assistance to a sovereign Government yearning for peace, stability and democracy would be tantamount to telling those countries that have supported the liberation struggle in Namibia that they had wasted their resources on a bad cause and on unworthy people,” Mbumba said.
“Therefore the funds provided for our involvement in the DRC in the Budget for 1998-99 is an investment in democracy which the region will begin to appreciate once peace and stability can be reinstated in that devastated country within our Southern African Development Commmunity region,” he said. Opposition, economists and a human rights watch group have criticised Namibia’s decision to allocate N$30 million to the defence ministry for the DRC war at a time when the country is facing economic hardships.