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Misanet.com / The Namibian, 3 November - Namibian Home Affairs Minister Jerry Ekandjo said yesterday that his call for the elimination of gays and lesbians from Namibia did not mean he wanted them killed. Ekandjo told the National Assembly that "elimination does not only mean to kill". - According to the dictionary meaning, elimination may also mean to ignore, to put aside and [get] rid of, he said. The Minister was replying to a question from CoD MP Rosa Namises who had asked him to clarify his recent call for trainee police officers to "eliminate gays and lesbians from the face of Namibia". In response to Namises's questions as to which laws required the arrest of gays and lesbians in Namibia, Ekandjo maintained that homosexuality was against the law. "If one man allows another man to penetrate a penis through his anus, whether voluntarily, that is what we call sodomy." - Homosexuality is unChristian, he said. "Sodomy is similar to rape. As far as I am concerned sodomy is a crime. Yes, homosexuality is a crime," said an emotionally-charged Minister Ekandjo, commenting on a court case in which a German national living with a Namibian in a lesbian relationship is seeking permanent residence, Ekandjo said his Ministry would remain opposed to recognising the couple's status "until it is scientifically tested that they can produce a baby". He said "a paternity test must convince him that the baby is from both the parents." - Some people have the South African mentality. The South African constitution is different from ours, he added. The South African constitution specifically recognises the rights of gays and lesbians. Ekandjo argued that the Namibian Constitution, which entrenches equality and freedom for all people, does not apply to homosexuals. "We never had moffies in mind when Swapo drafted the Namibian Constitution 10 years ago," he added. However, Ekandjo's understanding of the Constitution differs sharply from that of Prime Minister Hage Geingob. Deputy Minister of Justice, Albert Kawana, spoke on behalf of Geingob in response to further questioning from Namises yesterday. Kawana said Geingob stood by his previous statements that the human rights of all Namibians are protected under the Constitution when asked if the rights of gays and lesbians fell under the Bill of Rights. Kawana said a distinction should be drawn "between statements made by Ekandjo in his capacity as a private citizen and those statements which represent Government policy". He did not mention the fact that when Ekandjo called for the elimination of gays and lesbians he was speaking in his capacity as Home Affairs Minister at a Police passing out parade. Namises had wanted to know whether Ekandjo's statements were part of a broader Government policy. Kawana said Ekandjo was entitled to his freedom of expression. "Freedom of speech and expression is not reserved to the members of the opposition, it also applies to all the citizens of this country, including ministers such as comrade Jerry Ekandjo." When asked what the Prime Minister could do to promote dialogue between the gay and lesbian community in Namibia and Government officials and parliament in order to promote a climate of tolerance, Kawana said: "The Government policy has not changed. Indeed, this policy is consistent with any democratic system of government where public officials are accessible to all citizens to discuss even those issues which may not be popular with the general public or religious institutions." By Max Hamata, The Namibian
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