STATEMENT BY HON. NETUMBO NANDI NDAITWAH, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS ON THE OCCASION OF THE RETIREMENT OF AMBASSADOR VEICCOH K. NGHIWETE, PERMANENT SECRETARY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS 6 JUNE 2013 WINDHOEK Ambassador Nghiwete and Mrs Nghiwete, Honourable Theo-Ben Gurirab, Speaker of the National Assembly, first Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Namibia, Honourable Peya Mushelenga, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Tuliameni Kalomoh, Special Advisor, Your Excellencies, The Nghiwete Family, Friends of Ambassador Nghiwete, Dear Colleagues, staff members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, There are occasions when words simply fail us, when you are at a loss of the most befitting words to describe someone who has given it his all to make a difference, or to extend thanks and appreciation to a colleague or a friend who has made a positive impact in the work place. Today is one of such occasions. Let me therefore at the outset express my thanks and appreciation to you all for attending this special reception to bid a befitting farewell to a dear colleague, who truly deserve it. Personally, I have come to know Ambassador Nghiwete at a later age, but, by association, I have known him earlier. Ambassador Nghiwete and my husband have grown up as twin brothers. At Oniipa Boys School they were known as the Okongo boys. In 1974 they left the country together and they are both survivors of land mines. Thinking back to my first experience as a mother, the picture I get is that of Ambassador Nghiwete in his ‘best dark suit’ at Slok and Trand Hospital, in the UK, in the morning of 14 April 1988. The Nurse came into my maternity bed and reported, “I think, the father of the baby is here”. That was Ambassador Nghiwete, then a Student of International Relations a course we shared with Ambassador Ashipala and Ambassador Kambala, the four Namibians at Keele University. Back home after independence, Ambassador Nghiwete is my headmen and he appointed me as one of his Traditional Advisory Councilors. I do not have to introduce Ambassador Nghiwete, but to those who are not in the know, Ambassador Nghiwete is one of the few Namibian diplomats whose career started during our national liberation struggle. Without any preparation or training, and while recovering from a life threatening injury at the battle front, he was appointed to serve as the Chief Administrative and Protocol officer in the SWAPO Office of Foreign Relations in Luanda. Little did he know that, the appointment was the beginning of his diplomatic career. Perhaps it would be fare to say that he never expected to become the astute foreign affairs practitioner that he is today. That appointment in January 1980, together with his tenure as Principal Officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, makes him the Dean in Foreign Services in Namibia. He may even be one of the longest serving Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs in the world, if not The. I have not done a full research on that matter. Dear Ambassador Nghiwete, You have had a rich and rewarding career. The imprints of your contribution at the High Commission of Namibia in London and the Embassy of Namibia in Washington DC are deep and still visible. No other Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has had the great joy of organizing so many State Visits, Sessions of the Joint Commissions of Cooperation or Heads of Mission Conferences and Seminars as you had. You were entrusted with numerous difficult tasks including preparations of SADC Summits held in Namibia. You assumed the post of Permanent Secretary of the Ministry during the era of the Organisation of African Unity. You are exiting your post when the continental body has been transformed into the African Union. When you became Permanent Secretary, the membership of the UN stood at 188, today the United Nations boast of 193 members. You have witnessed all that. And the list goes on. Perhaps it is a coincidence that you reached your retirement age in May this year. A month that bears special significance for our continent, for it is the Commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of the OAU/AU. In this connection let me point out that you are witness to the number of students from Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) who studied in Namibia during their national liberation struggle. As I speak, those students have returned to an independent and sovereign Southern Sudan. A process to which the Government of the Republic of Namibia through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has played a considerable role. Closer to home, let me mention that you were there when the Ministry was being established from scratch and you have seen it grow from strength to strength. There are officers here at this function as well as admissions that joined the Ministry whilst you were Permanent Secretary and who today have become either effective Heads of Mission or experienced Foreign Service officials and staff at the Ministry thanks to your tutelage, patience and readiness to share knowledge with others. Major policy documents on Foreign Policy of our country including the White Paper on Namibia’s Foreign Policy and Diplomacy Management have passed through your capable hands. I am of the view that in doing all these, you were driven not only by your desire to see Namibia succeed but for our continent to leap frog to durable peace, stability and sustainable development, because we are Namibians, we are Africans and we are the African Union. Given the political, social and economic challenges that still remain in our region and the continent at large, it is our responsibility as a Ministry to continue where you Ambassador Nghiwete will leave off. As we review the functions of the Joint Commissions for Cooperation with our various bilateral cooperation partners, we shall remember and continue to draw from your wisdom. Whether it is at SADC Summits, or the SADC Organ on Politics, Defense and Security, we shall continue to build on where you have left and ensure that the implementation of the Strategic Regional Development Plan is felt in Namibia. Whether it is at the African Union, the Non Aligned Movement, the G77, the Commonwealth and the United Nations, we shall remember your contribution and ensure that Namibia’s voice continues to be heard. So as you leave the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this capacity, you must hold your head high and look back with pride at the immense contribution you have made to laying a firm foundation for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Namibia. Yours is a public service that span over 23 years in the Foreign Service. Therefore you owe it to the future Heads of Mission, Foreign Service officials and staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to share with them your experience in diplomatic practice. I invite you to pen a book about your experience so that those who will follow in your footsteps can reap the rewards of your long and eventful diplomatic journey. So, Ambassador, when you are out doing new things and new adventures, remember proudly that you have made a real difference. You made a material difference to the Ministry, to our Missions, to the conceptualization of our foreign policy and in your work, and all of us have honoured to be your colleagues. You may not be aware of how some of us have benefitted directly or indirectly from the improvements you have always effected to the documents and correspondence. Your commitment to precision, detail and accuracy is commendable and I can only hope that this has rubbed off on many of our officials. Your “human” side is well known, as you always consider and respect everybody. You were always a good listener and I believe, that this had an inspiration impact on our staff, who you could motivate and advise on various paths of life. Finally let me emphasize that there is life after retirement. Be it as a captain of industry, a successful farmer, a consultant to government or a house husband, I know you will be successful. The Government and the Ministry in particular is losing your active service but your family is getting you back. Now you can wake up when you want; you can switch off your mobile phone when you so wish and you can distinguish between working days and weekends. I shall be remiss if I do not on behalf of the Ministry express our special thanks to Mrs. Hilya Nghiwete and the children who supported you throughout the years. In conclusion, I can only say THANK YOU Ambassador Veiccoh Nghiwete for your service to you country. Thank you for your leadership and professionalism as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Namibia. At this point, may I extend my sincere gratitude on behalf of all staff members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to you for the good work you did. Ambassador, we wish you all of the best for your endeavours and know that we will always have a true friend in you, and please do not change your cellphone number, because surely we would want to call your for advice. Excellencies, Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen, Please join me in a toast to Ambassador Nghiwete! I THANK YOU!
Posted on: Mon, 10 Jun 2013 10:02:54 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015