[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 50 (Tuesday, May 2, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E683-E684]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING DR. MOSE TJITENDERO FORMER SPEAKER OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, 
                                NAMIBIA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 2, 2006

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to join my 
colleagues here in the U.S. and across the globe in commemorating and 
honoring the extraordinary life of Dr. Mose Tjitendero, Speaker of the 
National Assembly in Namibia and a man known for his dedication to the 
principle of One Namibia, One Nation. Highly regarded throughout his 
life as an outstanding leader and a true patriot, Dr. Tjitendero was 
dedicated to advancing justice, independence and self-determination for 
the people of Namibia and for others around the world. Dr. Tjitendero 
passed away on April 26, 2006 at the age of 63 following a short 
illness.
  Born the son of a Herero slave, Dr. Tjitendero hailed from a small 
village called Okomakuara in the Ovitoto area of Namibia. He was 
expelled from Augustineum Training

[[Page E684]]

College in 1963 after he attended a political rally in Windhoek, and 
left Namibia for exile in 1964 when he was only 20 years old. Upon his 
arrival in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, he was appointed to be the student 
representative of the South West Africa People's Organization, SWAPO 
political movement. In that role he became a radio broadcaster for the 
liberation movement, and as a part of the Tanganyika club, was 
instrumental in propelling SWAPO into an international movement in the 
1960s.
  In 1967 Dr. Tjitendero received a scholarship to attend Lincoln 
University in Pennsylvania, where he completed a B.A. degree in History 
and Political Science, and in 1976 he completed his Ph.D. at the 
University of Massachusetts School of Education. In the mid-1970s, 
SWAPO called Dr. Tjitendero to Zambia to open the United Nations 
institute for Namibia in Lusaka, where he taught for 5 years.
  Dr. Tjitendero served as the first Speaker of Namibia's National 
Assembly from 1990 until 2004, and had been a member of the SWAPO 
Central Committee since 1981. He was instrumental in teaching and 
motivating other leaders in his country, and at the 2004 SWAPO 
Extraordinary Congress, he nominated Hidipo Hamutenya, a fellow student 
from his days at Lincoln University, to be his party's presidential 
candidate.
  Throughout his tenure in the National Assembly, Dr. Tjitendero was 
widely respected and viewed as an impartial chairperson of 
parliamentary proceedings and an advocate for popular participation in 
Namibia's democracy. Revered by his colleagues as honest, hardworking, 
and thoroughly dedicated to promoting peace, freedom and national 
unity, Dr. Tjitendero's contributions to the development of democracy, 
equality and economic opportunity in Namibia are truly immeasurable. 
Though his death is loss to the entire Namibian nation, the legacy of 
his work will continue to improve countless lives in throughout Namibia 
and beyond for generations to come. My thoughts and prayers are with 
Dr. Tjitendero's wife Sandy and his two children, as well as all of his 
friends, colleagues, and the people of Namibia as they mourn the loss 
of this exemplary leader.

                          ____________________