President under fire over party comments

The Office of the Presidency is attempting to justify Namibian President Hage Geingob’s offensive comments to members of his own party at a Swapo central committee meeting last weekend. In a statement, the office said the comment was not meant for central committee members, and that ‘he was responding to another issue that was raised with him on the side’. In a video recording that has since gone viral, the President can be heard saying ‘they can go to hell’ and then laughing. ‘It should be noted that the president of the Swapo party has esteem and affection for the very important institution of the central committee, and comrades in the Swapo party in general,’ the Presidency said in a statement. The Namibian reports that Geingob urged party members to target their political adversaries, as well as to attack administrative bodies like the Electoral Commission of Namibia and the courts for ‘humiliating’ Swapo. He further criticised MPs for acting like underdogs during parliamentary debates. ‘This thing of being underdogs when you are not, must stop. You are being humiliated,’ he said.