Another Bitter Pill To Swallow
NAMIBIANS were again given another bitter pill to swallow with the report this week that taxpayers have had to cough up more than N$100 million over the past two years to finance the rescue and closure of the Development Brigade Corporation (DBC).
The DBC was created to train and provide jobs for former fighters
of the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (Plan), but never lived
up to expectations and is currently dormant but not dead, at least
not until Government shut it down.
Coming in the wake of several other State Owned Enterprises
(SOEs) exposed in the last number of months for having cost the
taxpayer in terms of mismanagement and even outright corruption,
the DBC is simply another name on the list.
Figures released by the Institute for Public Policy Research
(IPPR) confirm the dependence of many of these SOEs on Government
bailing them out of financial ruin.
According to the IPPR, Government spending on parastatals
amounted to some N$79 million in 1991; but this amount had
skyrocketed to N$960 million in 2002-3 and N$950 million this
year.
Not only does this constitute a huge burden for the taxpayers of
this country, but it has also resulted in a high number of workers
being laid off or absorbed in other Ministries and parastatals.
There is not much to add to what has already been said on this
subject, except that Government has spent money on commissions
looking at or investigating parastatals, and recommendations
arising from these are apparently being ignored.
We have had ministerial commissions look at pay structures of
top members of parastatals, but the public has not been informed
whether the situation has changed with regard some of the
astronomical amounts paid out to these companies' CEOs.
In addition we have had various presidential and other probes
into corruption and mismanagement at the SOEs, again with little
practical effect.
How much longer will the situation be allowed to continue while
taxpayers are asked to foot the bill?
PUERILE DEBATING ON CHILDREN'S BILL
A VERY important piece of legislation is currently before our
Parliament, but is being demeaned and diminished by the often
puerile standard of debate, particularly by male members of the
House.
It is important that the Bill be discussed in great detail or,
as the Legal Assistance Centre suggests elsewhere in this edition,
be referred back to committee for further public consultation.
But it debases the importance of children's rights when certain
MPs talk absolute nonsense, often turning the issue into an attack
on women.
International Women's Day is on Monday, and the women of this
country deserve more than these often provocative statements from
our elected male representatives.
For some of them actually to have the temerity to demand that
fathers convicted of rape have access to these offspring is not
conducive to the country moving forward to dealing with the stigma
and problems afflicting many children born outside of marriage.
Some also raised the issue of women 'raping' men and questioning
whether custody in such cases would be given to them.
Parliamentarians must do their homework, and learn something
about the matters they are debating in order to make a positive
contribution to the discussion in question.
These are often weighty matters which should not be trivialised
by knee-jerk reactions of people who simply don't know what they're
talking about.
Coming in the wake of several other State Owned Enterprises (SOEs)
exposed in the last number of months for having cost the taxpayer
in terms of mismanagement and even outright corruption, the DBC is
simply another name on the list.Figures released by the Institute
for Public Policy Research (IPPR) confirm the dependence of many of
these SOEs on Government bailing them out of financial
ruin.According to the IPPR, Government spending on parastatals
amounted to some N$79 million in 1991; but this amount had
skyrocketed to N$960 million in 2002-3 and N$950 million this
year.Not only does this constitute a huge burden for the taxpayers
of this country, but it has also resulted in a high number of
workers being laid off or absorbed in other Ministries and
parastatals.There is not much to add to what has already been said
on this subject, except that Government has spent money on
commissions looking at or investigating parastatals, and
recommendations arising from these are apparently being ignored.We
have had ministerial commissions look at pay structures of top
members of parastatals, but the public has not been informed
whether the situation has changed with regard some of the
astronomical amounts paid out to these companies' CEOs.In addition
we have had various presidential and other probes into corruption
and mismanagement at the SOEs, again with little practical
effect.How much longer will the situation be allowed to continue
while taxpayers are asked to foot the bill?PUERILE DEBATING ON
CHILDREN'S BILLA VERY important piece of legislation is currently
before our Parliament, but is being demeaned and diminished by the
often puerile standard of debate, particularly by male members of
the House.It is important that the Bill be discussed in great
detail or, as the Legal Assistance Centre suggests elsewhere in
this edition, be referred back to committee for further public
consultation.But it debases the importance of children's rights
when certain MPs talk absolute nonsense, often turning the issue
into an attack on women.International Women's Day is on Monday, and
the women of this country deserve more than these often provocative
statements from our elected male representatives.For some of them
actually to have the temerity to demand that fathers convicted of
rape have access to these offspring is not conducive to the country
moving forward to dealing with the stigma and problems afflicting
many children born outside of marriage.Some also raised the issue
of women 'raping' men and questioning whether custody in such cases
would be given to them.Parliamentarians must do their homework, and
learn something about the matters they are debating in order to
make a positive contribution to the discussion in question.These
are often weighty matters which should not be trivialised by
knee-jerk reactions of people who simply don't know what they're
talking about.