geonet%gn@cdp.uucp (10/08/89)
Commission On Intimidation Again Demonstrates Its Lack of
Credibility.
London, 2 October 89 (NSC) -
The O'Linn Commission into Intimidation during the Namibian
election campaign has found that the Chief Electoral Officer,
Mr. A. G. Visser, and the Administrator General, Louis
Pienaar, were not involved in attempts to prevent SWAPO from
winning the elections. The decision, which came as the
result of charges laid by a prominent SWAPO member, Mr.
Boniface Likando, comes on top of a series of decisions by
the Commission which have exonerated the South West Africa
Police and members of right-wing parties of intimidation
charges, often on technical grounds or for lack of evidence.
The Commission, chaired by Brian O'Linn, was set up at the
instigation of the Administrator General, Louis Pienaar, who
is the South African colonial governor and the ultimate
authority in Namibia during the implementation of the UN plan
for independence. The O'Linn Commission's brief was set by
the AG. Observers have been doubtful of the Commission's
role since its inception. There are suspicions that its
purpose is to provide a side-show so that something can be
seen to be done over the deluge of complaints about
intimidation and harassment of SWAPO members and supporters.
Likando's complaint was based on a sensational revelation by
The Namibian on 7 June '89 of the minutes of a September '88
meeting of the National Security Council which discussed ways
of preventing SWAPO from winning the elections. The
Administrator General, Visser, prominent civil servants,
high-ranking officers of the police and the South African
Defence Force, and leaders of the right-wing parties were
either at the meeting or in receipt of the minutes. There
have been allegations that the Council continued meeting each
month until March of this year when a final plan was adopted.
This included destabilisation, use of armed vigilante groups,
intimidation, electoral fraud and an anti-SWAPO propaganda
campaign. During the public row that ensued the publication
of the minutes the Administrator General claimed that the
Council was dissolved on 1 April and the minutes destroyed.
In his complaint, Likando questioned the ability of Visser
and Pienaar to exercise impartiality in their roles during
the election process, given what is known about their
participation in the National Security Council. The
Commission dismissed the complaint on the technical grounds
that its brief did not extend back past the 1st of April when
the implementation of the UN Plan began. Its finding went on
to conclude that Mr. Visser 'was a qualified , professional
and competent occupant of the post of chief registration and
chief electoral officer'. 'The Administrator General', it
said, 'took all reasonable steps to ensure that civil
servants will act impartially in relation to all political
parties'.
Set against this latest example of whitewashing by the
Commission must be the rising tide of intimidation and
violence in Namibia. Knowing that SWAPO do not want the
election date delayed, the South African aligned forces
within the country are intensifying their attacks and
provocations on the Movement. The Commission into
Intimidation has once again demonstrated its impotence and
its irrelevance to the real issues of intimidation.
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Patt Haring | United Nations | Did u read
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