From June 2002 I and my fellow asylum seekers in Osire decided to start the Association for the Defense of Refugee Rights in Namibia and the organization succeeded in all out claims.
In 2009 as the government and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee were working on the interest of refugees and asylum seekers, as the chairperson of the association; decided to quit with the activities. It was a success for us to start something and achieve it. Many of the people we started with left and they went to betray the plans of the association to the Namibian authorities but I remain firm up to the time I decided to stop with activities in Osire as well as in Namibia.
Before we quit, we were accused if many things that we were collaborating with the government but we remind our accusers that the aim of ADR was to claim from the government of Namibia and UNHCR refugee status and all the previlleges the status can give an the two institutions responded to all our claims. If the government responded positively to our requests, what else are we going to claim? There is no need for us to stand and make noise.
Sometimes our feelings can mislead us and we have to be careful.
In 2012, I was appointed as a secretary for the refugee leadership. After some times, the chairperson got problems which could not allow him to continue working and he was stepped down. I will be appointed as the deputy chairperson of the refugee leadership. The new chairperson could not remain in Osire, she joined her husband to Windhoek and for some months I worked with her from the capital city and I was the one in the field with other member of the executive committee.
I July 2013, the other stakeholders decided that she could not lead from Windhoek and they confirmed me as the acting chairperson of the refugee leaders.
End 2012 I wrote to the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration and UNHCR to inform them that my mandate came to end and a new leadership needs to be elected and take over, but the two stakeholders and others who were present in the meeting decided to take me and my colleagues to our position. The reason was that refugee resettlement to third countries will involve many people, for this reason it needs time to come up with elections.
I was the last leader to work with UNHCR, after five years; I organized elections after resigning from my position because I was tired with leading.
That is how I became a refugee leader for years. When I resigned, all the authorities were not happy and they wanted that I can continue working or can apply and run for elections but I told them that refugees want a new leader I hope I worked and do what God wanted me to do.
I'm not special if stakeholders wanted me to remain in my position, but I think it's because I worked with them as a professional without con confusing work and friendship. For me as a refugee and human rights activist, yes is yes and no is no. I do respect the rights of everyone, I know myself and this brought me problems. I'm not simple really and it's not easy to corrupt me. They asked me once if I was a Congolese because people from Congo can be corrupted easily. For me I learnt from ADR to be uptight. Also as a Christian, the Bible tought me to love my neighbours and also be upright.
I live you and cannot create any lye on your behalf.
I worked to honnor my Association, the ADR and finally my God who sent Jesus-Chist to die for my sins.
Any comment for this post is welcome to this email: <sambaansnzekadominique@gmail.com>.
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