The Gospel according to Swapo?

20.01.10
The Gospel according to Swapo?

By: CHRISTOF MALETSKY

LAST week one of the local newspapers carried a story about the death of Swapo’s district mobiliser in the Kavango Region, Romanus Hairwa Ndango. The report quoted the party’s regional coordinator as stating that Ndango was “singing Swapo party revolutionary songs and died with a clenched fist”.

When I read part of the story out loud a colleague of mine remarked: “where are the days when people died praying?” I nodded in agreement.
In fact I was quite appalled but came to the immediate conclusion that every person is at liberty to die the way he or she wants (if they have a choice in the matter!) especially when on a sickbed knowing that death is imminent.
However, the incident provoked my thoughts. It also took me back to October 2008 when Swapo firebrand Elijah Ngurare was addressing a rally at Okahandja Park in Windhoek.
Then Ngurare declared that “we have a political religion called Swapo and the political heaven is Swapo, and the political hell is where all the other political parties are”.
It means Swapo could be moving towards becoming another religion in Namibia.
For those who have doubts, consider the following – and I will limit my comparison to the religion I know best – which is Christianity.
Swapo members who attend the party rallies sing and communally dance in front of the leaders like king David did in front of God or as others did in front of the golden calf in the Old Testament days.
This will happen at every rally before the most senior party leader assigned to address the rally will do so.
Both Swapo and religion require obedience to particular rules or codes of conduct that must not be broken.
This can be the Ten Commandments or the requirement to hate Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) if you are a staunch Swapo cadre.
Like most devoted Christians, Swapo seem to dominate the lives of many of their members who seem to sleep, eat and drink the party. Remember Swapo Secretary for Information, Jerry Ekandjo, instructing members even to colour their teeth blue, red and green?!
Thousands of Swapo members live for the party. They will go to great lengths not to miss political rallies and, will chase relatives away if they support the opposition (especially RDP) and their person, homes, car dashboards and other items remain plastered with party colours.
In fact, some Swapo leaders and members argue that they are what they are because of the party!
As the party anthem goes the members give “glory to their (heroes’) blood and bravery” and “we give our love and loyalty, for their blood sustains us to fight till victory”.
In Christianity, Jesus Christ is the hero who died and in the process washed away the sins, set the captives and oppressed free and brought healing.
Having considered all the above, I continue wondering whether Swapo is moving towards becoming a religion.
* This article first appeared in The Namibian.