Nudo demands apology from president
Political parties come out guns blazing
Nudo cautioned Geingob against playing to the international gallery to appease the Germans at the expense of the Ovaherero and Nama people, who lost thousands of their loved ones.
The National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo) says President Hage Geingob’s claim that apartheid was worse than the Nama and Ovaherero genocides, which wiped out thousands of people, is misplaced and illogical.
Geingob made the controversial remarks at a recent public lecture at the Paris Institute of Political Studies in France.
He told the audience that the apartheid regime of South Africa was "worse" than the genocide committed by Germany against the Nama and Ovaherero ethnic groups.
His comments were not received well in Namibia, with many descendants from the affected communities expressing their ire towards Geingob’s choice of words, with many harbouring the feeling that comparing apartheid and genocide is misplaced at best.
Apology necessary
Nudo secretary general, Joseph Kauandenge, called on Geingob to “respect and be sensitive to issues surrounding people’s lives lost during the dark chapter of our fight for independence”.
Nudo called for an immediate apology from the president.
"There is no comparison between apartheid and genocide. Both are distinct and have their attributes, and neither can apartheid be worse than genocide, as the president stated. At best, the Ovaherero and Nama people deserve an apology from the President of Namibia; this statement is below the belt," Kauandenge said.
He added: "Naturally, as a party, we took time to await the Namibian president's response, hoping that he would be bold and man enough to apologise, or at best say he was quoted out of context. That is why we took so long to respond to this misplaced, illogical, and, at best, misguided statement by the President," Kauandenge said.
'Narrow definition'
He also took a swipe at presidential spokesperson Dr Alfredo Hengari, who defended Geingob’s remarks.
“For both scholars to have this narrow definition of what genocide entails and what an extermination order means is disappointing to the core," Kauandenge said.
"The president is at liberty to play to the international gallery or perhaps to appease the Germans, or for whatever reasons he might be persuaded to wine and dine with those devils called Germans. But he must be careful not to do it at the expense of the Ovaherero and Nama people, who lost thousands of their loved ones during that dark chapter in our history," he added.
Brutal history
Between 1904 and 1908, German military forces committed genocide against Namibia's indigenous populations to gain control over the land.
It is estimated that 80% of the Ovaherero people and 50% of the Nama people perished during the four-year genocide.
The Landless Peoples Movement also blasted Geingob for his remarks and labelled them as “insensitive”.
Geingob made the controversial remarks at a recent public lecture at the Paris Institute of Political Studies in France.
He told the audience that the apartheid regime of South Africa was "worse" than the genocide committed by Germany against the Nama and Ovaherero ethnic groups.
His comments were not received well in Namibia, with many descendants from the affected communities expressing their ire towards Geingob’s choice of words, with many harbouring the feeling that comparing apartheid and genocide is misplaced at best.
Apology necessary
Nudo secretary general, Joseph Kauandenge, called on Geingob to “respect and be sensitive to issues surrounding people’s lives lost during the dark chapter of our fight for independence”.
Nudo called for an immediate apology from the president.
"There is no comparison between apartheid and genocide. Both are distinct and have their attributes, and neither can apartheid be worse than genocide, as the president stated. At best, the Ovaherero and Nama people deserve an apology from the President of Namibia; this statement is below the belt," Kauandenge said.
He added: "Naturally, as a party, we took time to await the Namibian president's response, hoping that he would be bold and man enough to apologise, or at best say he was quoted out of context. That is why we took so long to respond to this misplaced, illogical, and, at best, misguided statement by the President," Kauandenge said.
'Narrow definition'
He also took a swipe at presidential spokesperson Dr Alfredo Hengari, who defended Geingob’s remarks.
“For both scholars to have this narrow definition of what genocide entails and what an extermination order means is disappointing to the core," Kauandenge said.
"The president is at liberty to play to the international gallery or perhaps to appease the Germans, or for whatever reasons he might be persuaded to wine and dine with those devils called Germans. But he must be careful not to do it at the expense of the Ovaherero and Nama people, who lost thousands of their loved ones during that dark chapter in our history," he added.
Brutal history
Between 1904 and 1908, German military forces committed genocide against Namibia's indigenous populations to gain control over the land.
It is estimated that 80% of the Ovaherero people and 50% of the Nama people perished during the four-year genocide.
The Landless Peoples Movement also blasted Geingob for his remarks and labelled them as “insensitive”.
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