Change Should Be The Key
THE eve of the 14th anniversary of Namibian Independence is a good time to take stock of where we've come from and where we're going.
There have been achievements, but there have also been
disappointments and even outright failures.
With elections on the cards later this year, the prospect of a
change in the Presidency could herald a slightly different approach
to the management of our country; but depending on the new
incumbent, of course, it could also mean that the status quo
remains because Swapo will unquestionably remain the ruling
party.
Under President Sam Nujoma, the country's stability has been
secure.
Apart from a failed insurrection in the north-east of the
country, Namibians have been at peace with themselves and our
neighbours.
Peace is, of course, a relative term.
Namibia has not been at war in the traditional sense of the
word, but there are battles that are being fought and that must
still be won.
* Since Independence, no major gains have been made in solving
our unemployment problem, probably the most burning issue of
all.
Government has made promises of thousands of jobs, but these
have not been realised.
Even if land reform takes place at an accelerated pace, this is
unlikely to diminish or replace the need for a higher rate of
employment.
* The HIV-AIDS pandemic continues to take its toll and, despite
huge amounts of money being poured into this sector, the battle is
far from being won and the cost in human lives is escalating.
* More children are attending school in Namibia, which is
obviously a positive development, but the quality of education at
primary, secondary and tertiary level still leaves a lot to be
desired.
* Violent crime, especially rape, is on the increase and is
making serious inroads into the fabric of our society, destroying
the lives of women and young children on a daily basis.
Against this background, it is worrying that despite calls by
MPs for life imprisonment for perpetrators, law enforcement has not
been bolstered sufficiently to tackle this evil.
* Corruption is also a problem that is not being dealt with
decisively enough to stem the increase in graft and
mismanagement.
Apart from its negative effect on the economy, it is also
sending out the wrong signals to the emergent work sector to join
the pursuit for 'easy money'.
* Another problem that permeates all areas of Namibian life is
an attitudinal one.
A democracy can have all the right things in place - which we do
to a large extent - but it takes a very determined nation to put
shoulder to the wheel to promote economic success and
wellbeing.
It is all very well to carry on ad infinitum about the struggle
and the victories won, but we are fooling ourselves, and successive
generations, if we do not realise that it is incumbent upon us in
the here and now to be sustainable as a country and a people.
Despite a new future, Namibians still tend to live in the
past.
They blame most of today's ills on apartheid and fail to look at
themselves critically and yes, their leadership too, to identify
the impetus for the way forward.
Dealing with this mindset, and changing it for the better, will
go a long way towards ridding Namibia of many of the problems
plaguing us, some of which we have listed above.
A nation intent on working hard and making a success of things,
as well as improving themselves in the process, can only make
Namibia a better place.
We would encourage Namibians to re-commit and rededicate
themselves to working towards a more prosperous future for all.
With elections on the cards later this year, the prospect of a
change in the Presidency could herald a slightly different approach
to the management of our country; but depending on the new
incumbent, of course, it could also mean that the status quo
remains because Swapo will unquestionably remain the ruling
party.Under President Sam Nujoma, the country's stability has been
secure.Apart from a failed insurrection in the north-east of the
country, Namibians have been at peace with themselves and our
neighbours.Peace is, of course, a relative term.Namibia has not
been at war in the traditional sense of the word, but there are
battles that are being fought and that must still be won.* Since
Independence, no major gains have been made in solving our
unemployment problem, probably the most burning issue of
all.Government has made promises of thousands of jobs, but these
have not been realised.Even if land reform takes place at an
accelerated pace, this is unlikely to diminish or replace the need
for a higher rate of employment.* The HIV-AIDS pandemic continues
to take its toll and, despite huge amounts of money being poured
into this sector, the battle is far from being won and the cost in
human lives is escalating.* More children are attending school in
Namibia, which is obviously a positive development, but the quality
of education at primary, secondary and tertiary level still leaves
a lot to be desired.* Violent crime, especially rape, is on the
increase and is making serious inroads into the fabric of our
society, destroying the lives of women and young children on a
daily basis.Against this background, it is worrying that despite
calls by MPs for life imprisonment for perpetrators, law
enforcement has not been bolstered sufficiently to tackle this
evil.* Corruption is also a problem that is not being dealt with
decisively enough to stem the increase in graft and
mismanagement.Apart from its negative effect on the economy, it is
also sending out the wrong signals to the emergent work sector to
join the pursuit for 'easy money'.* Another problem that permeates
all areas of Namibian life is an attitudinal one.A democracy can
have all the right things in place - which we do to a large extent
- but it takes a very determined nation to put shoulder to the
wheel to promote economic success and wellbeing.It is all very well
to carry on ad infinitum about the struggle and the victories won,
but we are fooling ourselves, and successive generations, if we do
not realise that it is incumbent upon us in the here and now to be
sustainable as a country and a people.Despite a new future,
Namibians still tend to live in the past.They blame most of today's
ills on apartheid and fail to look at themselves critically and
yes, their leadership too, to identify the impetus for the way
forward.Dealing with this mindset, and changing it for the better,
will go a long way towards ridding Namibia of many of the problems
plaguing us, some of which we have listed above.A nation intent on
working hard and making a success of things, as well as improving
themselves in the process, can only make Namibia a better place.We
would encourage Namibians to re-commit and rededicate themselves to
working towards a more prosperous future for all.