Insincere Sentiments

I WAS disturbed and disappointed to read 'Vying for the Glittering Crown: The Top Ten' published in The Namibian of Friday, May 28 2004.

One of the Miss Namibia finalists, Thea Heesakkers, was quoted as

saying: "I'd like to do something I believe in and will give

my time for the people on the streets.

They need a second chance in life and many of them have the

potential to progress in life."

 

Now that is all very laudable, but why on earth does she have to

wait until she is possibly crowned as Miss Namibia before she

volunteers her time to help the homeless? Her comments come across

as lip-service to a worthy cause; jumping on the politically

correct bandwagon.

 

Surely if she was serious about this she would be involved

already? Is she saying this just to get more votes from the

judges? Those of us working with the homeless and unemployed know

that these people are largely ignored by Namibian society, and

the one thing they do not need is false promises.

 

If you are serious, Thea, you are more than welcome to volunteer

your services at The Big Issue Namibia, one of the few projects

working in this area to provide support for the socially

excluded.

 

We look forward to hearing from you.

 

Sarah Taylor

Editor: Big Issue

 

They need a second chance in life and many of them have the

potential to progress in life."Now that is all very laudable, but

why on earth does she have to wait until she is possibly crowned as

Miss Namibia before she volunteers her time to help the homeless?

Her comments come across as lip-service to a worthy cause; jumping

on the politically correct bandwagon.Surely if she was serious

about this she would be involved already? Is she saying this

just to get more votes from the judges? Those of us working with

the homeless and unemployed know that these people are largely

ignored by Namibian society, and the one thing they do

not need is false promises.If you are serious, Thea, you

are more than welcome to volunteer your services at The Big Issue

Namibia, one of the few projects working in this area to provide

support for the socially excluded.We look forward to hearing from

you.Sarah Taylor

Editor: Big Issue

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