Namibia: Welcome to the new decade
Dear Editor,
MY generation started fighting for freedom in the 20th century and achieved; together with the post-independence generation we supported the baby boomers in power to deliver economic independence and prosperity for all our people. We gave them a peaceful environment to the extent that even the white brethren who ran away in fear and protest on the eve of independence duly returned [with their old money] and became prosperous. We, alas, continue to languish in a disadvantageous position.
Some tenderpreneurs and Petro-Licence holders [Farm-Out] enjoyed privileges and very few of them re-invested in the economy. The fishing rights lucky ones sold their quotas to Spanish, Russians, Icelandic and local fishing ‘mafia’ and never made efforts to understand the fishing industry from Walvis Bay to Cameroon, DRC, Vigo (Spain) where the real profit is realised.
The land that was stolen – little was bought back – given to Namibians without capital and knowledge and without further support! Soon government started to feed the resettled on the land.
Uranium EPLs were sold and no tangible investments from those proceeds were made. Mining operations were given ‘Off Shore’ status – imagine how much revenue was lost!
So, for a generation (30 years) of freedom and independence all we can show for is a national flag; national anthem; resettlement farms [that took land out of commercial production]; SACU; Presidential and NAMPOWER jets; decentralisation without concomitant powers; a burgeoning public service; ‘Men at the street corners’ and increasing desperation in violence and theft. This is what has become of us in a nutshell!
As a nation, we are entering a new decade with trepidation. We have a deeply fractured, fracturing and destabilised SWAPO – our rock! One young man in Rietfontein confronted me with a question: “What are we going to inherit if the party is being destroyed like this?” I had no convincing answer.
Shame!
The challenge to us all at this moment of the new decade is to change all the negativity as afore mentioned. How to improve the lives and health of our people; how to contribute positively to the implementation of the workable efforts and policies of our government and not the ‘2030 unfunded policies’; how to save and preserve our hard won independence from the unelected bureaucrats in Addis Ababa and the AU Parliament in South Africa; how to add realisable value to our various raw materials and their by-products; how to treat all our people equally and fairer; and how to feed ourselves!
Since Namibia has a secular Constitution, I will not appeal to the so-called ‘Most High’ but to all my brethren to help each other in achieving the ideals this nation fought for during this new decade!
Wishing you strength, health and fortitude.
Henock-Sara Mwahafar Ndakolute Ndilula
Swakopmund