Geingob disappointed Namibians – Mudge

MATHIAS HAUFIKU



WINDHOEK

Republican Party leader Henk Mudge says President Hage Geingob’s popularity dropped significantly because Namibians are disappointed in his leadership style and warns that the country is fast turning into a ‘banana republic’.

Mudge was speaking during Namibian Sun’s ‘Evening Review’ show on Tuesday.

He touched on several issues such as the leadership status in the country, Air Namibia’s liquidation, the lax attitude of the opposition and alleged rampant corruption.

“A lot of people supported him [Geingob], but they saw he is not serious, that is why there was a decline in the votes during the 2019 elections.

“The internal squabbles in Swapo also played a role but I think he disappointed Namibians,” Mudge, who was one of the many Namibians who threw their weight behind Geingob, said.

He also accused Geingob of allowing poor public financial discipline in the public sector.

“The general sentiment is that there is no discipline in the financial sector. The Chinese still do as they please, despite our leaders having the power to address most of the challenges we are facing a country,” he said.

“There is a leadership crisis that has placed the country on course to becoming a banana republic.”

Opposition parties

Mudge called on his fellow opposition party members to make the most of the 2020 regional and local authority election results.

“We must put our money where our mouths are and show we can do the job. There will be serious problems for Swapo because they ran out of ideas on how to manage the country.

“Opposition parties must work closely with the civil society in order to place pressure on government to serve the interests of the citizenry,” he said.

Asked why the opposition has failed over the years to reach the heights that civil society movements such as Affirmative Repositioning, independent candidates and the Independent Patriots for Change reached in the last elections, Mudge replied: “Simply because the elections were rigged over the years.

“You must remember that to some people, supporting Swapo is a religion, for them to change parties is like committing treason, whether they agree or not, they will remain,” he said.

Corruption

He also accused the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) of contributing to the high level of corruption by selectively investigating cases.

“A lot of cases are reported but they choose what to probe. The ACC is simply incompetent. Officials from ACC have told me in the past that there are files that must not be touched,” he said.

Mudge also spoke about the Air Namibia liquidation and blamed the airline’s dismal financial performance on incompetent management and board members.

“I sympathise with the workers, but we cannot continue bleeding the whole country dry just to keep 600 jobs. The cycle of bailouts will never end.”