… as Muharukua says they never begged LPM to join legal fight
The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) has come out to say that they never begged the Landless People’s Movement (LPM) to support the legal challenge against the Speaker of parliament and the appointment of Paulus Noa.
The party’s chief whip Vipuakuje Muharukua and leader, McHenry Venaani, have also all been accused by LPM of being in a “conspiratorial relationship” with Peter Katjavivi to make sure the LPM is out of the National Assembly for good.
The situation has degenerated into a public outburst from the LPM against the PDM with chief whip and second in command, Henny Seibeb taking the fight to Twitter.
LPM has thus further refused to support PDM and six other parties to challenge Noa and Katjavivi legally.
“An invitation was written to all political players. So, the impression that there was some sort of special invitation or begging from the PDM’s side for the LPM to join the cause against the reappointment of the Director General of the ACC is wrong,” Muharukua told Eagle FM.
Muharukua said they were fine with the LPM either taking or rejecting the invite, but did not think that the party would take it further and attack the PDM in public.
He said that their strategy against Swapo was tactically sound and the fact that it is being led by the PDM and other parties, Muharukua said, “Of course I expected Seibeb to be jealous of that”.
But Muharukua has bashed back to say that in the first place, Seibeb wanted him to testify in his favour on the fracas that occurred in the National Assembly where he was manhandled and chucked out of the August House.
He has suggested that the bitterness coming from the LPM could be stemming from this incident.
Seibeb opened a case of malicious damage to property and Muharukua is standing as witness to that.
However, the PDM chief whip has laughed off at the charges as “ridiculous”.
“Now I understand, from police officers, that Seibeb reported the case of malicious damage to property, that he had his shirt or whatever torn during a scuffle in parliament at the State of the Nation Address.”
“He mentioned me as a witness. He wanted me to become witness, I suppose with others in that trial. I did not witness his shirt being torn. I had not witnessed any clothes on his body whether under-wear or anything torn. So, I am not prepared to lie for Seibeb.”
“I made a statement of what I saw, and know and think is true. That statement includes the fact that I did not witness his shirt being torn. And in due course I will avail this statement publicly. And I am sure any right-thinking person who is not thinking like Seibeb would be laughing at the ridiculousness of the charges by Seibeb,” he said.
Swartbooi has accused Venaani of being “unethical” and in the “political mud”.
It is his contention that given that it was him that nominated and pushed for his appointment to deputize Katjavivi in the Privileges and Immunities committee, Venaani was supposed to be fair to the LPM.
But Muharukua has said they are there to serve the interest of Namibians foremost.
“I do not know who seconded who, who nominated who in the Privileges Committee. All I know is that we from PDM have sworn to serve the Namibian nation. We shall serve as members of parliament, in whatever committee we are nominated to serve on, without fear or favour,” he said.
Muharukua has said as far as he is concerned, Venaani has been pushing for fairness and to afford the LPM a right of reply.
“So how he is alleged to have conspired, or how I am alleged to have conspired with Swapo is mindboggling and ridiculous to say the least,” he hit back.
