Official opposition leader McHenry Venaani has called for the release of Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) economic commissar Michael Amushelelo following his arrest on Friday for allegedly inciting violence and looting.
Amushelelo also faces charges of closing down shops in China Town in Windhoek the day before.
The ruckus followed a public announcement by the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) that it destroyed counterfeit goods valued at N.dollars 5 million.
This fuelled Amushelelo’s anger, his target being China Town, which he alleges has made a fiefdom for counterfeit products.
Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) president Venaani made the call in a video clip on his official Twitter page on Friday.
“The implementation of laws looking at the economic realities of the country, there is a strong element and strong argument that Amushelelo is using, whether you like him or not. If counterfeit products are burned down, how is it that the whole China, not only China Town, the whole Chinese business model is based on counterfeit products, globally, especially in third world countries,” he said.
In his message, Venaani pleads for a negotiated settlement and for the country’s top leaders, including political parties, to converge under one roof to chart an amicable way forward.
“The prime minister of the country must call for an immediate meeting with NamRA, the Namibian Police Force, and political parties that are willing to come on board so that we can discuss this thing once and for all,” he said.
According to Venaani, what appears like a single incident might spark the flame that will burn Namibia to ashes.
“We know what happened in Tunisia. One action can burn the whole country. Even if the law says we must burn counterfeit products, one has to apply the law judiciously. The same laws are saying we must burn down the ivory. But we are all in agreement we can’t burn down the ivory because it is an economic resource,” the PDM lawmaker said.
Venaani further branded the arrests as unnecessary.
“We are calling for the release of all those arrested… they must be released so that we can have a stronger dialogue in the country,” he added.
According to reports on Saturday, six out of eight people who were arrested during the China Town protest in Windhoek were released on warning, following engagements between the police, the Khomas Regional Council, and lawyer Henry Shimutwikeni and the NEFF leadership.
They must appear in court on Monday.
Amushelelo was however not released.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
