AMIDST ACCUSATIONS, NAMIBIAN GOVERNMENT BACKS MCA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 WINDHOEK 000331 SIPDIS AF/S E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/15/2018 TAGS: KMCA PGOV ECON WA SUBJECT: AMIDST ACCUSATIONS, NAMIBIAN GOVERNMENT BACKS MCA REF: WINDHOEK 302 WINDHOEK 00000331 001.2 OF 003 Classified By: Classified By: Charge d'affaires, a.i. Matt Harrington; reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) - - - - Summary - - - - ¶1. (C) Beginning September 18, the SWAPO Party Youth League (SPYL) began leveling unfounded accusations that certain senior Namibian government officials were planning to sell off Etosha National Park to the United States Government using the recently signed Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) compact. Soon after, other SWAPO affiliated groups, like the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW),joined SPYL in making dubious claims against the MCA compact. Despite considerable press coverage, it took nearly three weeks for senior government officials to begin refuting the allegations. The Prime Minister and Minister of Health have indicated to Charge that the Government remains committed to ensuring Parliament ratifies the Compact, while both acknowledged that the SPYL and other political opportunists have generated considerable confusion over the MCA-Namibia program. End Summary. - - - - - - The Charges - - - - - - ¶2. (C) On September 18, SPYL Secretary for Economic Affairs Viekko Nekundi accused Minister of Works and Transport Helmut Angula and Minister of Youth and Culture Willem Konjore of planning to use the MCA compact to sell Etosha National Park "to the Americans." Nekundi called on both ministers to resign. (Note: During Namibia's two-year-long MCA compact negotiations, Angula was the government's lead negotiator as Director General of the Namibian Planning Commission (NPC), while Kanjore was Minister of Environment and Tourism. Within days, the SWAPO-affiliated National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) joined the SPYL in its charges against Angula, Konjore, and MCC. ¶3. (C) Early on the accusations against MCC included few details beyond the unsubstantiated claim that the two ministers wished to "auction off some of (Namibia's) national assets." As the charges became more specific, the press revealed that MCA's critics had received a leaked draft of the MCA Program Implementation Agreement (PIA) that is currently under negotiation. The critics distorted language in the Compact and the draft PIA to support their claim that the USG would purchase Namibia's "natural treasures." The critics focused on the Compact's language exempting MCC from taxation and legal liability, the requirement that private tour operators and conservancies be granted concessions around Etosha and other parks, and the supremacy of the MCA compact over Namibian law (except for the constitution). The SPYL and NUNW disregarded that the provisions on granting of concessions were consistent with GRN policies aimed at helping poor communities and their conservancies share in the dollars that flow into Namibia's most popular tourist attractions. - - - - - - - - - - - - The Government Reaction - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶4. (C) For nearly three weeks, few senior government officials - other than Minister Angula who was largely defending himself - openly refuted SPYL's and NUNW's accusations. Finally, on October 8, the Director General of the National Planning Commission, Peter Katjavivi, held a press conference to clear the air. Katjavivi read a long statement explaining the detailed negotiations that led to the Compact, and underscoring that the projects included had been identified and advocated by the Government. The Director General asserted that there were "no hidden agendas, no sinister plans" in the MCA program. The journalists in attendance asked reasonable questions about the substance of the Compact, while a contingent of SWAPO Youth League members seemed more interested in casting aspersions on the agreement than in clarifying their own concerns. ¶5. (C) While all media outlets have covered the story, the government's New Era newspaper and National Broadcasting Corporation have generally given more coverage to the SPYL's accusations, without seriously questioning the SPYL's motives or adequately checking their claims. But, on October 14, Prime Minister Nahas Angula (brother of the accused Minister Helmut Angula) criticized the state media's approach to the WINDHOEK 00000331 002.2 OF 003 story. The Prime Minister told a New Era journalist "What makes the situation worse is that government media is the one reporting on the agreement and the U.S. government could think that the public debate is being orchestrated by government." He added government media was "being mischievous and I do not know who they are trying to embarrass." - - - - - - - - - The Insider View - - - - - - - - - ¶6. (C) During an October 14 meeting on a separate topic with the Charge and PEPFAR coordinator, Minister of Health ) and SWAPO Politburo member ) Richard Kamwi raised the SPYL's criticisms of the MCC Compact. Namibia is a democracy and its citizens are free to express their opinions, he said, but the SPYL are not part of government and do not represent the views of government. He advised us that President Pohamba would chair a Politburo meeting on October 16 with the SPYL, and Kamwi said he planned to speak strongly in support of the MCA compact, noting all the assistance the United States had provided under the U.S. President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The Minister predicted that the outcome of that meeting might be a public statement reiterating the GRN's commitment to the Compact. He surmised that some Ministers and MPs might oppose the Compact, but the "majority" would support it. ¶7. (C) On October 15, the Charge met with Prime Minister Angula to gauge the state of the government's commitment to the Compact. He was accompanied by the MCC Country Director and econoff. Angula echoed his public comments that the negative stories in the press were "unfortunate" and that he was "not sure of their origin." He added that the accusations were meant to "whip up emotion" and "elevate the profile" of certain individuals. He remarked with a smile that Namibia is preparing for national elections in 2009. Angula explained that he had no issue with debating the merits of the MCC program, calling such talk "a part of democracy." But, Angula stressed, he was angry that someone had leaked the draft PIA document. ¶8. (C) The Prime Minister explained that many people see the MCC compact as just about Etosha, but stressed that people must understand that Etosha is just one component of a much broader program. He argued that the controversy has generated a lot of confusion about the MCA Compact. He added that many parliamentarians and members of the public are misinformed about the MCA program and that the criticisms must be refuted in "simple and easy to understand language." Emphasizing his point, he noted that President Pohamba had called him with questions about how and why the Compact superseded Namibian law. Charge praised Angula's remarks in the interview published in that day's New Era and encouraged him and other senior officials to continue to speak out in favor of the Compact. Angula noted that he had given another interview that morning to a New Era journalist and agreed with Charge's suggestion that the MCC Director speak with the media on background to clear up any lingering misconceptions. The Charge shared with the Prime Minister a copy of a two-page fact sheet providing key details of the Compact and specifically addressing some of the criticisms leveled at the document. The Prime Minister noted that he would be meeting with the SWAPO parliamentary caucus the following day to discuss the Compact, and that our fact sheet would be very helpful background for that discussion. ¶9. (C) Angula noted that Parliament would begin discussion of the Compact on October 23 and that ratification remained likely in the coming weeks - as planned. He added, though, that the recent controversy would mean that the PIA will undergo much greater scrutiny. Asked whether an approved PIA was necessary for ratification, Angula replied that finalization of the PIA would be helpful, but not absolutely necessary for ratification. - - - - Comment - - - - ¶10. (C) The accusations against MCC appear related to two primary factors: an internal struggle within the ruling SWAPO party as well as more specific concerns by the leaders of the state-owned Namibian Wildlife Resorts (NWR). The 2007 departure of former SWAPO heavyweight Hidipo Hamutenya to form his own party exacerbated divisions within SWAPO, with many hardliners (including the SPYL and NUNW leadership) accusing Ministers Angula and Konjore of being RDP sympathizers. WINDHOEK 00000331 003.2 OF 003 ¶11. (C) Further, NUNW leaders have accused Angula and Konjore of trying to sabotage government-owned enterprises. Managing Director of the government-owned Namibian Wildlife Resorts (NWR) -) and former leader in the SPYL -- Tobie Aupindi claimed that private concessions were aimed specifically at hurting his company, since NWR would be required to begin paying concession fees along with its non-government competitors. Currently, NWR enjoys a monopoly on lodges and night time access in Etosha and other national parks. ¶12. (C) It is difficult to assess how much resonance the SPYL's public campaign has had among MPs. Both PM Angula and Politburo member Richard Kamwi seemed convinced that a majority of parliamentarians remain supportive of the Compact, but they and other senior officials clearly have some work to do in clarifying some misconceptions, both within SWAPO and among members of the public. End Comment. HARRINGTON