But as you may be able to tell on closer examination, I have from my rich collection chosen the one with the inscription, 'Namibian'.

My appearance thus is occasioned neither by want nor destitution.

On the contrary, it is a matter in which I opt consciously, conscientiously and deliberately for the Hobson's choice - I am a Namibian.

But before I completely drift off tangent, I present myself this morning because of the event(s) of yesterday.

For 76 years ago, in the far northern reaches of Omusati, to wit, at Okahao, a man who was destined to play a Herculean role in our country in our quest to nationhood, was born.

Samuel Shafiishuna Nujoma, I venture to submit, represents for our country what Mao Tse Tung does for China, George Washington to USA, Konrad Adenauer to Germany, Cromwell and Churchill rolled into one for the UK, etc, etc.

He is, warts and all, our standard-bearer and founder of our Republic.

In the formative years of our Nation, we were treated, on this day, to public adulation akin to North Korea (I am aware that we have not entirely shirked our North Korean affinity.

And on the face of it, there is perhaps no reason to walk down that road).

Happily, this was nipped in the bud.

What this grandfather, who has lived his life in the public arena for the last 50 years, needs on this day, must be a quiet private space with family sharing their stories, fears and dreams for the future.

This is after all his birthday - two months into his leaving as our head of state and government.

As founding President of our Nation, his footprints and handiwork are all pervasive and sooner rather than later these will have to be subjected to scholarly musings and examination.

Indeed a study of the politics, history, economy and the governance of our country.

In other words, 'The political economy of Sam Nujoma'.

Despite his well-deserved (semi) retirement, his figure still looms large in our national psyche and there appears still to be a nostalgic expectation that somehow he will still harangue us, finger- waving from our TV screens, or share his visions and dreams for our country.

And such is his charisma and force of character that most who have met him closely cannot turn away from this native of Okahao and architect of Namibia.

He has allowed himself to dream about and worked diligently for a free and independent Namibia.

He has presided over a country that has notched up many achievements in a space of 15 years.

He is aware of WE will never succeed in eradicating our colonial past by simply changing names.

But then maybe we shouldn't even try to negate it completely, because it is an integral part of our history and adds to the fascination of what is present-day Namibia.

This isn't a uniquely Namibian problem.

It is an issue with which the people of many formerly occupied countries grapple, and there must surely be a compromise of sorts.

WHAT we really should get rid of is the colonial mentality, and huge steps have already been taken by Government to right the wrongs of the past.

Apartheid for one.

But because the South Africans subjected the people of this country to an inhuman system for decades, doesn't mean we must tear down every physical aspect of the country that was built up during that era.

DTA President Katuutire Kaura, for example, now proposes that the names of our capital city and eight other towns in Namibia be changed to their 'pre-colonial indigenous names'.

It's probably no coincidence that all the changes he proposes are Herero names, and this won't go down well with other Namibians in any case.

(And lest he forget, the name of the DTA itself is a colonial relic!).

But there are some who may wholeheartedly agree with Kaura.

Others may say there's no reason why we can't have a mix.

Cost is obviously a factor, and so is accessibility.

These are things we ought to think about.

We've probably spent a substantial sum changing street names in virtually all towns, and there are a multiplicity of 'Sam Nujoma' roads and buildings throughout the country.

Soon the 'Hifikepunye Pohamba' name will proliferate as well.

Many of our names are a mouthful for outsiders, and accessibility is important.

Travellers who cannot pronounce the names of the places they want to visit might even see this as something of a deterrent.

And I often wonder how tourists manage to get their tongues around a casual 'meet you in Mandume Ndemufayo Avenue', for example! Let's simplify if we can.

If the names were simply 'Nujoma National Park' or 'Pohamba Plaza' or 'Mandume Mall' it would be so much easier.

To put in the 'Shafishunas' and 'Hifikepunyes' etc is extraneous and unnecessary.

We should of course make sure our current history is represented in street names, monuments and the like.

But that really shouldn't mean that 'Luederitz Street' or the name 'Oranjemund' should be scrapped.

Our colonial history represents nasty chapters in the life of the country, especially the way in which our people were treated by both the South Africans and their German predecessors, and this continues to take its toll.

But some 'good' came as an offshoot those times, and no one can deny, for example, that the South Africans left us a sound road infrastructure, even if the aims behind it were not necessarily noble.

But it would be a senseless act indeed to tear up the tarmac simply because the South Africans planned it.

And our labour built these roads, after all! Likewise, who can deny the quaintness a town like Swakopmund must present to tourists with its German, albeit colonial, architecture? At the same time, our own cultures are represented.

And, likewise, tourists flying into Ondangwa and Oshakati are fascinated by the intricate patterned landscape of the traditional Owambo homesteads, for example.

We're known as a country of contrasts, in geographic and other terms, and this is part of our 'selling power', surely? We're not a homogeneous country.

We're a country of diverse cultures, diverse groups and peoples, diverse landscapes.

Even the colonial past adds to this mix in its own way.

Kaura should rather devote himself to issues of pressing national concern rather than fiddle around with the unique balance history has created in Namibia.the fact that lack of water is going to be the development constraint and has dreams about the waters of the great Congo.

He has seen that we do not only link up by road and rail but that we also open up the interior with road and port networks such as the envisaged link from Katima to Cape Frio.

Grand dreams? Follies.

But then, as Fidel Castro says, if we are not allowed to dream, what are the stars there for? It is also on his watch that our country has forged many enduring bonds with countries big and small, both on our continent and across the seas.

So our birthday gift and every May 12 will be to live up to this grand vision that he has so conscientiously and diligently crafted for our country and people.

Given the above, and before I make my exit, I crave your indulgence to ask you to raise our glasses.

Happy birthday, Tatekulu! * Tsudao Gurirab is Member of Parliament for the CoD.

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