Swakopmund Matters has noted with appreciation the news in today’s The Namibian with the headline “Swapo manifesto becomes Govt bible”.
http://www.namibian.com.na/indexx.php?id=27460&page_type=story_detail

We wholeheartedly support the Government’s announcement yesterday that “Cabinet had adopted the 2014 Swapo manifesto and directed government offices/ministries/agencies, regional councils and state-owned enterprises to incorporate the ruling party’s manifesto into their strategic plans”.

It is most noteworthy that one of the policies which is specifically addressed in that Manifesto and which ALL in Government have now been instructed to implement deals with the environment.

That particular prescription in the Manifesto is worded as follows:
“Promotion of policies to protect national marine resources to contribute to the socioeconomic development of the country” and to “continue to devise measures to ensure the protection, conservation and respect of our environment”.

Swakopmund Matters stands ready to assist in whatever way we can so that the Manifesto is complied with, in particular as far as the environment is concerned. Furthermore, we pledge full support by making resources at our disposal available to ensure implementation of that which is so important to the Government in reaching its goals as set out in the Manifesto.

The overwhelming majority of SWAPO being a near unanimous vote of confidence means that all Namibians now have the duty to side with policies that will be based on that Manifesto.

It is most significant that senior SWAPO members have already had strong criticism of marine phosphate mining even before the Manifesto was issued at the time of last year’s election. These are some of their pronouncements in this regard:
• The Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Bernhard Esau, expressed in the National Assembly on 19 April 2013 his opinion on marine phosphate mining as he was “concerned about the impact on the fisheries sector”.
• The then Speaker, Theo-Ben Gurirab, added his very clear standpoint:
“I am against the idea that phosphate is mined from the seabed”.
He reminded members of the recent SWAPO Party Congress and the strategy it adopted:

“Fish is a renewable resource – phosphate is not”.

• The first President and Founding Father of Namibia, Dr. Sam Nujoma, added his opposition to phosphate mining along the Namibia coast in an interview with New Era which was published on 17 December 2013. The following is quoted from that article:

“The Founding Father of the Nation, Dr Sam Nujoma, supports the stance by the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Bernard Esau, against the planned phosphate mine along the coast that poses a devastating threat to marine life.

Recently the fisheries minister said he is not willing to put at risk the country’s renewable resources by supporting the planned phosphate mining venture whose benefits are short-term but whose impact on fisheries could be long-lasting.

Last week Nujoma told New Era he fully supports the patriotic stance taken by the minister of fisheries because phosphate mining has short-term benefits compared to the fisheries sector whose benefits are long-term.

Nujoma made it categorically clear he is against phosphate mining at the coast that could have a detrimental effect on marine life.

The founding father said in no way should the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources allow the architects of the planned phosphate mine to proceed with their operations because phosphate mining would damage the country’s fisheries sector particularly hake”.

Namibians will keenly observe how Government officials implement what is now expected of them and how those outside Government will accept the determination of the SWAPO leadership to adhere to its Manifesto in full.

The Manifesto’s environmental commitment and the approach taken by those quoted above stand in sharp contrast with that which SWAPO Party’s newspaper, Namibia Today, conveys in a recent article by highly praising marine phosphates mining and promoting it as “Key to Namibia’s Industrialisation”.
http://www.swapoparty.org/phosphate_mining.html
Swakopmund Matters (For Swakopmund Matters the environment of the Namibian coastline and its ocean matters)