The Ovaherero Traditional Authority (OTA) will not be swayed into renegotiating what it branded a ‘broken’ genocide pact signed by the German and Namibian governments.
According to the authority, the joint declaration agreed to by Namibia and Germany resolves nothing and does not represent the wishes and aspirations of the Ovaherero and Nama communities, the direct victims of the genocide.
Mitiri Festus Muundjua, one of the senior leaders of the OTA, said this at a press conference on Wednesday.
Considered one of the sharp brains of the OTA, Muundjua was responding to a proposition made by Popular Democratic Movement leader McHenry Venaani, who wants the joint declaration that is before Parliament for ratification to be referred to a parliamentary committee instead.
This will see all key stakeholders from the Namibian side sit around the table, make amendments and input the draft deal with a view toward coming up with a respectable deal, Venaani said.
But the OTA does not buy into this narrative.
‘We do not want to hitch-hike in his thing. Our position has been, is and shall remain that we would like to represent ourselves if we were given the platform to be part of a new negotiation. We are not going to deal with failed negotiations outcomes,’ a candid Muundjua said.
He then likened the current joint declaration to a broken vehicle.
‘If given the platform, we will come with our own A, B, C, D, to the last letter in the alphabet, in our own words. But to have to deal with a failed, dented vehicle? That is to panel beat…,’ he said.
Muundjua continued: ‘We want to start from scratch with a clean slate where we will have to spell out some of the things that must be part of the new negotiations including the diasporans.”
Echoing Muundjua’s sentiments was OTA acting secretary-general Nandiuasora Mazeingo, who said the Office of the Ovaherero Paramount Chief will continue working closely with “our Nama compatriots in our collective rejection of the joint declaration between Germany and Namibia and to redouble our efforts for restorative justice.”
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
