Namibians are fearless: Mbumba

WINDHOEK, 04 OCT – Vice President (VP) Nangolo Mbumba is impressed by the mettle displayed by delegates to the second National Land Conference to take on serious and sensitive issues pertaining to land in the country.
Mbumba in an interview with Nampa on Thursday noted that delegates talked about issues “without fear or favour”.
“It pleases me that Namibians will always find ways of solving problems. Now we are looking forward to what they are going to decide,” he said.
When asked what has stood out the most about the land gathering, he said: “What stood out for me is that Namibians are fearless. They can talk and discuss any topic.”
Another thing Mbumba took note of is the level of tolerance the delegates has displayed amidst divergent views on sensitive matters, such as the ancestral land claims and their restitution.
“Even if we don’t agree in every respect, we respect one another. That is an element that is growing in our hearts and minds, that all Namibians are one,” he noted.
As things stood on day four of the conference, they were making “good progress” in terms of articulating and debating land related matters, the VP said, while acknowledging the difficult conditions that may have threatened the congress taking place.
“We started under very difficult conditions in terms of preparations, in terms of agreeing on whether it will happen or not,” Mbumba said in reference to the mass 11th hour withdrawals from various political parties, civil society organisations and pressure groups.
The groups premised their decision on a leaked government position paper on land, which left an impression that the land conference was predetermined and had an outcome even before it started.
Another reason given was that ancestral land claims and their restitution do not receive the prominence they warrant at the symposium.
The VP said he was pleased by President Hage Geingob’s “clear-minded” approach ahead of the conference, which set the right tone from the onset.
“If there is any question of representation, people from Bwabwata National Park, Kunene Region; the South; the east and west and north, everybody is here and they are speaking their mind,” said Mbumba.
For now, discussions and debates continue, but the government will face a mammoth task, which is to implement resolutions emanating from the convention.
“For sure. The attendance is good and the resolutions will be many which gives the government a mandate to create procedures (and) legal frameworks to make sure that all those recommendations are implemented,” Mbumba concluded.
The five-day conference ends on Friday. – NAMPA