The ruling Swapo party has hailed President Hage Geingob’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) but some opposition members said the President failed to provide answers to some pertinent questions.
“The President does not answer all the questions. He skips important questions and I think that’s not good for the country. We need to indulge in debate and speak the truth and come up with policies and programs that are good for the country
The state of the nation address is an address that is supposed to give an account of what happened, where we are now and where we are going. So if you are paying lip service or ridiculing other leaders who are asking pertinent questions then I guess the answer is that we are not going anywhere,” said the leader of the oldest political party, SWANU, Dr Tangeni Ijambo.
Rally for Democracy and Progress, (RDP) leader, Mike Kavekotora said this year’s address has failed to be different from any of the addresses the President has made.
He said the President went at length to try and paint a positive image of the country which is currently battling a global health crisis, rising unemployment numbers and food insecurity.
“A highlighted a few challenges on the implementation of the Harambee Prosperity Plan. He also tried to and he hopelessly failed to give us a road map on what he plans to do to take the country from the economic slump. He continued to blame everyone else, about the economy’s non-performance. He blamed the global economy and obviously Covid-19 and not looking at what they have contributed as a party over the 30 years,” he said.
Kavekotora said it was “disgusting” for the President to talk of economic emancipation 30 years later after the country attained political freedoms.
Labour minister in the Swapo government, Utoni Nujoma said: “the President tried.”
“He was asked questions and he has addressed them,” he said.
Hilma Nikanor, communications person in the ruling party said, “The manner in which the President addressed the Sona and the questions that were posed to him, as a seasoned political diplomat has given the people their answers”.
Asked on what her take was on the degeneration of parliament towards the end of the Sona, she said the party has been tolerant enough to allow such in the house.
The President ended up clashing with his former deputy lands minister turned LPM founder, Bernadus Swartbooi as well as his right-hand-man, Henny Seibeb, on matters of tribe and corruption.
