~AG 8 Is Still
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Signs of wideni~g rifts in parties over abolition proposal. ~ AG 8 is still firmly in place despite report BY GWEN LISTER THE INTERIM GOVERNMENT faces the most serious threat to its survival over the question of the scrapping of Namibia's controversial ethnic Proclama tion AG 8, It is widely believed that there are deepening rifts in the ranks of both the white National Party and the conservative Rehoboth Free Democratic Party, concerning recommendations by the Select Committee on National Unity, which calls for the interim govern ment to 'prove 'its worth', by June 17, the first anniversary of this authority. Committee Chairman, Mr Moses Katjiuongua, tabled his report call ing for the abolition of Proclamation AG 8 in the National Assembly on Thesday. The National Party representative, Mr Eben van Zijl, ful ly supported the recommendations in a speech described as 'left-wing DTA' by certain observers. What has been descri15ed-as a 'con troversial' statement by Mr van Zijl in the eyes of many National Party supporters, will be discussed in depth at a forthcoming extraordinary NP Congress on May 23 and 24. The Congress was announced on Wednesday by NP leader, Mr Kosie· Mr Eben van Zijl Pretorius, who told The Namibian that the Congress would examine whether Mrvan Zijl had acted within the mandate given him by the Party. The standpoint of the NP was clearly spelt out in a statement by Mr FEEDING THE ANTI7CHRIST? This is one of the accusations levelled at Pastor Dermot Thornberry of Pretorius, in which he said the ethnic the Methodist Church who has started a soup kitchen for the poor and self-help project in Katutura, when authorities would have to decide on asking for contributions from businesses and .other churches. It is remarkable, in a society which is supposed the question of AG 8 being replaced ly in a transition of change, that such attitudes still exist. _ or amended by another constitu Picture of children at the soup kitchen in Katutura this week by John Liebenberg, (Story inside), tional dispensation. National Party sources believed it . was unlikely the Congress would give its mandate to the replacement of AG No decision on labour bill 8 with the proposals embodied in the National Unity Committee report. DEPUTY Interim Government that the Wage and'Industrial Con grounds that it was in conflict with In the meantime, there is also Minister of Manpower and National ciliation Amendment Bill which was the Bill of Rights, was still under the Heaith and Welfare br Siegfried Tji earlier referred back to the Cabinet Cabinet's consideration. Continued on page ~, jorokisa said in responsse to queries by the Administrator General on the Mr Hans Diergaardt Continued on page J ij \., ·Shopping need not be a hassle ,,', ..- . if you kn ow WHERE and ,WHEN! WOE MANN BROCK & CO makes your shopping a pleasure 'when you can do it at leisure on weekends! Saturdays: 08hOO-13hOO hrs Sundays: 10hOO-13hOO hrs 16hOO-19hOO hrs 16hOO-19hOO PO BOX 86 WINDHOEK TEL. 26232 , , r 2· THE NAMIBIAN FR~DAY ~pril', " ~ '1~8~ WORLD FLASHES BAPTISM OF BWOD Nanso applauds ,students TRIPOLI: In his first press conference since the clash between Libya and the NANSO SECRETARY for Publici of a democratic students represen When the school was closed, in US in the Gulf ofSirte, Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi said he and ty and Information, Mr Paul Ipum tative council. He said that the stead of investigating the cause of the his top commanders had completed military plans to challenge the United bu, has congratulated and welcom" authorities had responded by-calling crisis, the response of the authorities States, and he renewed threats against US targets worldwide. He said 'It is ax ed 'the heroic and courageous action in 'Koevoet'. was to blame the students and then iomatic that if aggression is staged against us, we shall escalate the violence taken by the students of the request the signing of 'impossible against American targets, civilian and non-civilian, throughout the world: Augustineum in exposing the declarations'. 'Casualties are not important to us. What is important to us is that the line abominable conditions' they and Nanso also commended the work of death was baptised with Libyan and US blood'. Referring to Soviet influence other students have been subjected of the Parents Committee in the in his country, he said 'If the war spreads widely, then naturally the Soviet Union 1 to at State schools. crisis, calling on them to further sup ~ ! will not stand by with its hands tied. We are friends of the Soviets. Mr Ipumbu said the National Ex port the 'legitimate struggle' of the ecutive Committee of Nan so, saw the students. GADDAFI PRIME SUSPECT student grievances as legitimate and Nanso hoped the newly elected WASHINGTON: Meanwhile, the US Defence Department, in the cleares,t in their demands 'quite reasonable'. school committee would be thus in dication yet that plans are being studied for a military strike against Libya, Th.ey also condemned the the true sense of the world and that has cancelled the departure of one of its aircraft carriers from the Mediterra response of the interim government they would listen to student demands nean Sea to home, sources said. Minister responsible (Mr Andrew and consult the broader communi The Navy has also been told to drop plans for a liberty call for the second car Matjila), the school Principal, and ty on all major issues. rier in the region, the sources said. The officials stressed the Navy had yet to the Department of National Educa Mr Ipumbu called on the student receive orders to reform a naval battle group in the central Mediterranean off tion to the students' demands. population in general to take the Libya's coast. Mr Ipumbu listed the student Augustineum as an example, and 'let At the same time, President Ronald Reagan was telling newspapers that the demands as the removal of the Prin no repressive rule or action of the US was not going to 'just sit here and hold still' in the wake of renewed ter Cipal; an improvement in food; governmenf functionaries go by rorist attacks against US citizens in Europe. He said that the Libyan leader -removal of security guards; abolition Mr Paul Ipumbu without challenge'. Gaddafi was 'definitely a suspect' in the latest fatal bombings aboard a TWA of the prefect system and institution jetliner over Greece and in a West Berlin nightclub. t------------------------------------------- LIBYAN DIPWMATS KICKED OUT -----NATIONAL ASSEMBLy---- BONN: West Germany has ordered two Libyan diplomats to leave the coun try, as officials said there were indications that Libya was involved in the weekend bombing of a West Berlin nightclub. The decision to expel the pair, Statement of 'Basic Aims was made after police began investigating the Saturday bombings which kill STAFF REPORTER are protected by the Bill of Fun niversary of the founding of the ed two people and injured 230, Government spokesman, Mr Friedheim Ost damental Rights; and further con- Transitional Government of Na told a news conference. AT THE opening of tbe National vinced that 'institutionalised ethnic tional Unity'. Mr Ost refused to say why the diplomats had been expelled, only saying that Assembly this week, interim govern- and racial discrimination and The Select Committee on Na their activities violated norms of diplomatic behaviour. He added that they ment Minister of Health, Mr Moses separation .. : must be entirely remov- tional Unity was requested ~o take the had been under surveillance for some time. Security Forces said both ofthem Katjiuongua, tabled wbatis called a ed', the National Assembly declared following problem areas into ac were known to be Libyan intelligence agents. 'Statement of basic aims and objec- that 'ProclamationAG 8 of 1980 and count, namely, 'the abolition of com FRANCE HEADS AIDS LIST tives of tbe National Assembly of all similar legislation shall be im- pulsory racial and ethnic classifica , ! Soutb West Africa/Namibia'. mediately abolished as soon as a tion; non tribal, non-racial and non PARIS: The number of AIDS victims grew faster in France than anywhere Recalling the press release of replacement has been completed, ethnic personal income tax, else in Europe during the last quarter of 1985, official figures show. France January 23, 1984, of the MPC, that agreed upon and implemented'. organisation of the education system reported lO7 of the 407 new AIDS cases in Europe, where 2 006 people have the existing political and' constitu- The National Assembly had in- on the basis that 'race and colour will been infected by the deadly viral disease, according to figures compiled by the tional order is unsatisfactory; recall- structed the Select Committee to 'co- not be regarded as relevant factors in Claude Bernard Hospital in Paris. Just over half the victims have died. The ing the Windhoek Declaration of opt experts to advice them on the the , admission of children into new figures bring France's total to 573 cases, still the highest in Europe. West Basic Principles of February 241984, specifics, mechanics and details of a schools in our country'; institution .. i Germany is second, with 377 cases, followed by Britain 287 and Italy 140. The that Namibia is one and indivisible; new political and administrative of non-discriminatory medical ser data on AIDS - which attacks mainly homosexual males, transfusion reci recalling further the decision ofthe dispensation based on a geographic, vices; holding of nation-wide, non pients and intravenous drug users, was collected from 23 western and eastern MPC to draft a permanent constitu- that is, non-tribal and non-racial, racial municipal elections; , European countries.