Justicia Shipena
There is nothing wrong with a toast during formal diplomatic engagements between a president and foreign envoys, international relations analyst Marius Kudumo has said.
This comes as, on Tuesday in the National Assembly, Affirmative Repositioning (AR) leader and member of parliament Job Amupanda questioned whether it was appropriate for the president to be seen drinking alcohol during official duties.
On Monday, ambassadors from various countries presented their letters of credence to President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah at State House. A ceremonial toast followed, but the contents in the glass were not confirmed as alcoholic or non-alcoholic.
“It is not fair for the President to be drinking on the job. Why is the government giving wine glasses to our President during office hours? It is not fair; it is not healthy,” Amupanda said.
Amupanda asked prime minister Elijah Ngurare to explain why there was a ‘wine glass’ given to the President.
He argued that he could not find any provision in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations that allows or requires alcohol to be served during such ceremonies.
The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 is an international agreement that sets rules for how countries conduct diplomatic relations.
Its aim is to promote friendly relations between governments and it establishes principles such as diplomatic immunity, which allows diplomats to do their work without fear of pressure or harassment from the host country.
“I checked the rules, I checked the protocol, and there is no provision of alcohol. We can’t have a situation like this,” Amupanda said.
However, Kudumo said the practice of a toast is standard in diplomatic relations and guided by long-established protocol.
“Whatever people do in diplomatic circles is done in accordance with protocols and practices,” he said.
He said the act is symbolic and not improper.
“The meaning of that toast is to express goodwill and good health to the president of the sending state, and it is normally done,” Kudumo said.
He added that the gesture is reciprocal.
“The symbolic meaning behind it is that I am receiving you as the representative of the president of the sending state, and I am wishing the president of the sending state good health,” he said.
Kudumo said when ambassadors respond in the same way, they extend the same goodwill to the president of the receiving country.
“So it’s not unusual. It’s not drinking. It’s about the symbolic meaning behind the act,” he said.
Proof of alcohol
Before Ngurare responded, Swapo member of parliament James Uerikua rose on a point of order and rejected the claim that the president was drinking alcohol during working hours.
“The honourable member is making serious incriminating statements alleging that our president has been drinking during working hours. There is no proof whatsoever that the president has been drinking,” Uerikua said.
He told the National Assembly that debate must be conducted with respect and decorum, in line with African traditions and diplomatic norms.
“It is normal courtesy in international relations practice that your president does what you call the toasting of a glass when receiving dignitaries coming into a country,” he said.
Speaker of the National Assembly Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila ruled that the remarks against the president were out of order and instructed Amupanda to withdraw them.
Amupanda refused, saying his question was based on observation rather than accusation.
“I asked a specific question, factually established. I am simply asking, why are you giving our President a wine glass to drink from after every diplomat? If there is holy communion in the wine glass, the Prime Minister is capable of answering,” he said.
Ngurare then addressed the House, saying there was no basis in the 1961 Vienna Convention to suggest that the president acted improperly.
“There is no way that, in the manner in which he is depicting it, to say that our president was being given a wine glass,” Ngurare said.
He said claims that the president was served alcohol were based on assumptions.
“The content of the wine glass would suggest there was something in it, and I think the honourable member does not believe in the implication of what he is saying,” Ngurare said.
He said the practice observed was not new.
“He knows he has seen this before. He has seen diplomats being accorded precisely what he observed yesterday. So it is not the first time,” Ngurare said.
Ngurare said the matter should not be treated with seriousness.
