Erasmus Shalihaxwe
The Speaker of the National Assembly Peter Katjavivi, has described former President Hage Geingob as not only a statesman of the highest order but also a beacon of hope and unity for the Namibian people and the entire Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Region.
Saying that Geingob’s dedication to the principles of democracy, justice, and equality paved the way for significant progress and unity within the Namibian nation and region at large. His unwavering dedication and tireless work for Namibian growth and prosperity will forever be remembered by the nation.
“We honour the extraordinary legacy of this great man even as we lament his passing and celebrate his life. President Geingob’s dedication to creating a united society in which each individual has the chance to prosper has had a lasting impact on our country. His dream of a united Namibia where people cohabitate in harmony and peace, will serve as an inspiration to future generations,” said Katjavivi.
The speaker alluded that President Geingob can be applauded for having given birth to the Constituent Assembly that gave birth to the first National Assembly of an Independent Namibia. Therefore, not only is the nation honouring his legacy as one of Namibia’s Presidents but also as a founding member of Parliament.
“President Geingob was a team player, I recall the time when we would sit down from time to time during the liberation struggle, will sit and think through about what we needed to do and who should be assigned to carry out that particular task and then we would identify some of our comrades, we were attending a major international conference in Brussels and we decided to ask Comrade Theo Ben Guiriub to do a presentation on behalf of Namibia.
We decided that Theo Ben would be the best fit for the task at hand. This is how we used to identify the comrades who we knew would do a good job. This is how you utilize the skills and competencies that are available amongst comrades,” stated Katjavivi.
He added that when they managed to draft the Committee of the Constitution, the late Geingob dealt with some of the key milestones that were reflected at the time of writing the Constitution.
“I remember one particular item. We had been having intense discussions around the issue of ‘Capital Punishment’, while different opinions were shared in the room, we eventually asked ourselves where we derive the mandate to do away with Capital Punishment.
In the end, being a Christian country, Hage turned to the leadership of our Churches from all denominations for consultation. They were called in and briefed on the impasse we were facing and we formally asked for them to make submissions. The Church requested that they be given a few days. After which they returned and told us “Have Courage! Do it!”. And that is how the abolition of Capital Punishment found its way into the Constitution of Independent Namibia,” explained Katjavivi.
