Stop Blackmail Advertising
MY sincere ‘big thank you’ to The Namibian team for every weekend’s bumper paper with an Editorial and Political Perspective which truly inform and educate our nation!
Thank you for having opted to be the voice of the voiceless over 26 long years! History shall forever salute you!
Despite the possible risk of a loss in much needed revenue, please also consider to make one more sacrifice, namely to lead a public awareness that the millions currently being wasted in the form of what is commonly known amongst Namibian business community “as blackmail advertising” to congratulate public servants on their birthdays in the media, can go a long way in bringing much needed relief to the poor! Surely there is a much better and cost effective way of conveying a big thank you to an extraordinary servant of the people? A possible good idea is a personalised letter, signed by all the people within the organisation. But please let us stop the culture of placing such ads unless for a very special once-off milestone! Lets also do away with any form of personal gifts!
This practise is not serving our nation well! The bad knock-on of this culture is clearly visible on a daily basis, especially on our roads where it is nowadays nothing unusual for junior officers to also demand the same because as leaders we failed to set the appropriate examples which could have encouraged and motivated others to follow and be enriched by our actions.
Is it not more appropriate to rather do a thank you in person and to use the thousands of dollars each one of us spend on this simply bad practice much more productivel. For example, how about creating a special fund to feed the poor, keep them warm during winter and away from dumpsites? Or, alternatively, creating more training opportunities for their children?
As I am convinced that a Code of Conduct on all levels of management have become non negotiable in our country, I am praying that the Lord will give The Namibian team, supported by the rest of our printed media, the necessary courage to take up this challenge which I am sure will afford all Namibian companies, parastatals and government ministries much better returns on investments!
Brian Black
Kappsfarm
We could not agree more with you that, in addition to monetary costs, this sycophancy has resulted in a cowed and docile society where public servants become demigods. The Namibian has criticized that practice before and will continue to call for careful spending of public funds. Ed..