Let’s Move Forward
I WOULD like to use this opportunity to contribute towards recent sentiments in newspapers about the innocent speech which was read by the former Karas Governor and traditional leader, Chief Stephanus Goliath, at the historic independence celebrations at Mariental.
As residents of the south, it would be good for us to leave the past where it belongs, and join hands for the struggle for economic emancipation which is ahead of us. I for one did not see any reason why it should be labelled as hate speech, or being personalised, it was not meant that way.
And I think should the Chief have mentioned all that happened in the south during colonialism with the names of all our fallen heroes, the historic places and so on, his speech would have taken a whole day and a half to complete.
Let us please move forward in unity as residents of the south, and come up with ways to develop our region. Ours is the biggest region and is also contributing much to the country’s GDP.
Just like the rest of the country, we too need developments such as tertiary institutions and other developmental projects to create much needed jobs for our children. I would also like to urge the residents of the south to avoid tribalism, and all other social evils that are known to discourage development in an area.
We have seen a lot of countries in Africa where local people were blocking much needed development in their areas, simply because of tribalism, regionalism, nepotism and other social evils. We saw wars being fought, and innocent lives lost, because people who are living together for ages could not learn to live in harmony.
Our struggle for independence was a long and bitter one, and as Namibians we were all in a way involved and played a part because of our bravery, until we emerged victorious.
Let us continue in the same faith and fight relentlessly until we taste the sweet victory of economic independence, and let us first be Namibians before we are anything else.
I am a proud Nama child but I am a Namibian first. United we stand and divided we fall.
Charmaine Snewe
By email