(MISA/IFEX) – Officials from the government and the ruling South West African People’s Organisation (SWAPO) party have distanced themselves from statements made by the leader of the SWAPO Youth League, Paulus Kapia, saying the statements do not represent official policy. SWAPO Secretary for Information and Mobilisation Alfeus Naruseb, quoted in “The Namibian” newspaper, distanced the […]
(MISA/IFEX) – Officials from the government and the ruling South West African People’s Organisation (SWAPO) party have distanced themselves from statements made by the leader of the SWAPO Youth League, Paulus Kapia, saying the statements do not represent official policy.
SWAPO Secretary for Information and Mobilisation Alfeus Naruseb, quoted in “The Namibian” newspaper, distanced the ruling party from Kapia’s remarks, saying the youth leader was not the official SWAPO spokesperson.
Referring to Kapia’s call for ministers to resign if their ministries advertised in “The Namibian” newspaper, Naruseb said: “Ministers are appointed by the Head of State and only he has the prerogative to dismiss or remove a minister.”
When approached by “The Namibian”, Secretary to Cabinet Frans Kapofi also said the youth leader’s remarks were not a reflection of government policy towards “The Namibian”.
Background Information
On 4 November 2000, Kapia, hit out harshly against “The Namibian” newspaper and gave notice that the youth wing was planning an all-out assault against the paper.
Kapia, who was speaking at a Youth League meeting at Oshikati, in the north of the country, labelled the newspaper “reactionary” and accused it of destroying “the good image of our SWAPO government.”
“We have to put a stop [to people] reading it,” Kapia said.
“Let us stop buying ‘The Namibian’. We will come up with the deadline when we will ask you not to buy and read ‘The Namibian’, maybe next year … we must buy and read our [SWAPO’s] newspaper, ‘Namibia Today’.
“I want to make a call today from here to all SWAPO ministers, permanent secretaries and to all directors to stop advertising in ‘The Namibian’ as from Monday [November 6, 2000].
“I tell you, if we see from now on that something from the SWAPO government has been advertised in ‘The Namibian’, no matter from which ministry, that minister must resign. We will call on the president that that minister should resign,” Kapia said.
