The government has thrown its political weight behind Cuba, but has distanced itself from the N$700 000 raised by Namibia-Cuba solidarity groups.
This clarification by the Ministry of International Relations and Trade comes after The Namibian asked whether the government plans to contribute towards Cuba’s humanitarian needs amid the United States’ economic embargo against the island.
The ministry says Namibia’s advocacy for the lifting of the US embargo remains a “principled and important policy decision” based on the country’s solidarity with the Cuban people.
“International pressure and solidarity is essential in encouraging the United States government to reconsider this longstanding and unjust policy,” executive director Jerobeam Shaanika said yesterday.
He said Namibia would continue using bilateral, regional and multilateral platforms to advance its position on the embargo.
However, the ministry was clear that the N$700 000 raised for Cuba did not come from the government.
“The ministry wishes to inform that this is a private initiative led by the Namibia-Cuba Friendship Association and is not a government contribution,” Shaanika said.
The ministry encouraged private citizens, organisations and well-wishers to support the fundraising campaign.
“We need to stand with our brothers and sisters in Cuba during their difficult times as they did with us in the darkest hours of our liberation struggle,” Shaanika said.
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah recently praised the group for raising N$700 000 during celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of former Cuban president Fidel Castro.
She urged more Namibians to contribute, saying Namibia was not repaying Cuba for its support during the liberation struggle.
“No amount of repayment will ever amount to what Cuba did for Namibia to gain independence,” she said.
While the government has not committed funds, the Office of the Prime Minister said the Cabinet could still pronounce itself on the matter.
Office of the Prime Minister spokesperson Rhingo Mutambo says the government is aware of the situation in Cuba and will not pre-empt a Cabinet decision.
“The government is well aware of the situation in Cuba. We just came from there. Hence, I am certain that the government, through a Cabinet decision, will pronounce itself on this matter at the right time,” he says.
Meanwhile, National Council members have already put money behind the campaign, collectively handing over N$27 609 on 20 August to the Namibia-Cuba Solidarity Campaign.
The deputy chairperson of the National Solidarity Committee with Cuba, former ambassador Tuliameni Kalomoh, has described the contribution as more than a financial gesture.
“It’s a powerful expression of solidarity, friendship, and a manifestation of internationalism at its best,” he says.
He said the funds could help provide medicine, medical supplies and solar kits to Cuba, which he describes as facing a humanitarian and social crisis.
Kalomoh also calls on Namibian businesses and industry leaders to contribute, arguing that Cuba stood with Namibia during the liberation struggle.
“We should not bury our heads in the sand. We may be happy making huge profits, but it is made possible by the lives of people who sacrificed so that you can be free,” he says.
He stresses that the campaign is humanitarian and non-partisan.
“This particular one is for medicine, medical supplies, and solar kits. It is non-political. It is absolutely non-partisan,” Kalomoh says.
He says the campaign should not be judged only by the size of donations, but by the message of solidarity they send to the Cuban people.
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