SMS Of Thursday 13 August 2009
* HERE’S constructive advice to our Hon Minister Iilonga. Now that he has identified our future leaders’ destruction as the white enemies’ hatched shebeens and alcohol, why not close all shebeens down, or even better, expropriate all white-owned shebeens and distribute them to black shebeenless emerging shebeeners.
Food For Thought
* POLYGAMY is part of a certain culture in our country. However, people all over the world had to abandon certain cultural practices in the past, this when those practices changed into something harmful to their societies. Circumstances change, changing habits and practices are part of the process of adaptation, and to adapt is part of the survival process of every species. Without adaptation to a changing environment, survival is impossible. Perhaps we have to look at polygamy out of this perspective too.
And Justice For All
* STRANGE how the ordinary labourers are given heavy fines while ministers and senior GRN officials walk free on similar offences!
* HOW can someone be charged with murder if he shoots a burglar? What was the burglar’s intentions? Was he law abiding? What are we to do if Government won’t protect us?
Bouquets And Brickbats
* THE City Police are doing great service in the community. A few days ago I was attacked by a gang in Khomasdal. I ran to someone’s house, there I phoned City Police. Friendly, well-trained officers took me home safely. They really saved a life. Thanks to Constable Makanga and all City Police.
– Baloyi
* TO publish insults for Peter Ilonga, does it makes sense? I think this page will lose its value in future.
– Julie
– This is a public forum and being critical of a person’s comment does not amount to an insult. It is a public forum which offers Namibians a democratic chance to engage, robustly at times, on the issues that concern them, fire them up, make them angry and make them happy. No one is above criticism. Expressing opposing and critical views is a cornerstone of democracy. – News Editor
* PLEASE The Namibian do not print more than five SMSes referring to one topic. We send our SMSes and buy the newspaper every day. Our concern is limiting speed at the junction of Claudius Kandovazu and Moria streets. Those speeding drivers are a risk to schoolchildren.
– Worried resident
– We appreciate your concern. We try to accommodate as many SMSes as possible on as many topics as possible, but sometimes there is an issue which provokes a wider response than others and we try to reflect that. – News Editor
Politics
* IT’S a shameful move by the Oshana Governor and company to bar opposition parties from campaigning freely in the area. It just shows that their party is against democracy and trying hard to keep the electorate in the dark. Preach democracy and act against it? Where does that take us?
The public debate goes on
* SINCE the SMS page service was introduced I have never seen so much public outrage as it did, reacting to the alcohol issue of Comrade Iilonga. Up to 26 SMSes within two days. And those that were never published? So if I were him, I would rather quit politics.
– Fashion Mbwena
* WHILE constructive criticism is essential in a democracy, I don’t think that recent public pronouncements by some Swapo Youth League leaders against their senior comrades are helpful. It is simply not a Swapo culture to humiliate another comrade in public.
* WE must stop blaming the whites for our own failures, indiscipline and corrupt habits. If we are really serious about Vision 2030 then we must stop hate speech, racism, tribalism, corruption, etc. We must strive to respect one another black, white, Herero, Owambo, Damara, San, etc. if we want to build this nation and not destroy it. Please bring back discipline in schools and stop polluting our young ones with bad and ill prepared political speeches.
Running The Show
* HOW CAN ONE JUSTIFY THIS? The Inspector General of the Namibian Police is issuing us N$4 100 as a clothing allowance. The Ministry of Finance deducted N$1 453 as tax. Now we are expected to submit N$4 100 in receipts to the same Inspector General and Finance Ministry. Is this fair, Mr Ndeitunga and Hon (Saara) Kuugongelwa-Amadhila?
* DOES the Public Service Act apply to Home Affairs? I don’t think so because it is run like a private company. Help us, the more experienced staff are resigning. Please do something.
Booze Blues
* BOTH colours are to blame for alcoholism in this country. 1. Lack of education to the black community before Independence played a significant part, well this was caused by the whites. 2. Black government is failing to provide enough education to save the young black people, as a result this generation and the next will always have alcohol as a social problem. 3. Shebeens are run by blacks making huge profits for breweries (I believe most breweries are white-owned, correct me if I am wrong). A reduction in alcohol consumption by this group will greatly affect the breweries, by the way another one opened recently, so the whites make money from a blacks who end up destroying themselves because they lack education, which the whites denied them before independence, which the blacks are failing to provide after independence. 4. The poor are always suffering in the end. That’s life, so let’s live with it and accept it. Realities of life suck.
* WHY do people sound surprised by Hon Peter Iilonga’s senseless speech as if he ever spoke sense?
– Shimwiikileni
* I AGREE with Minister Iilonga that alcohol destroys. The fact of the matter is that whites control the industries and facilities that produce and import alcohol. Who owns all the wine, beer, hard liquor warehouses? The best to address this pandemic would be if the GRN stopped all liquor imports.
– WAP
* MR Peter Iilonga wants ‘to sue’ The Namibian for his ‘misquoted’ “alcohol plot” by the “whites” in Namibia. Eish! What were his real words then, if any? A relative of his runs a shebeen at Okahao. Can he advise his relative that alcohol is out to destroy the youth? The Namibian team, over your dead body. Keep telling it as it is!
– The name of the relative said to run the shebeen has been removed, as the person is not directly involved in this issue. But we appreciate your views! – News Editor
* MR PETRUS Iilonga, please prepare yourself before you address us. Shebeens are owned by black people. Don’t bring racial issues in our independent Namibia. We want reconciliation. If you don’t know what to tell people, its better to stay at home.
– Xwanda
* I AM gatvol of all politicians blaming whites for all the problems that they can’t solve due to their own inability and lack of vision / skills and short-sightedness. Refer to Peter Iilonga at Keetmanshoop telling people that whites want to destroy Namibia with alcohol!
General
* WHY does the Government not build roadside clinics instead of toilets?
* WHEN will citizens register for the upcoming elections? Electoral Commission please respond.
* TO which number can I send an SMS with an image?
– We’ll look into that. In the meantime, you are welcome to send images to our e-mail address, if you can: news@namibian.com.na
– News Editor
* TO Roads Authorities – could you please attend to the white stripes on the B1. They are faded or gone from Windhoek up to Karasburg. It is very risky, especially at night and for trucks. Who do we sue in case of accidents because of an absence of road marks?
– Can somebody help us here? – Newsdesk
* IS there something wrong about being gay or lesbian? Because those people in those relationships are even happier than most. I mean let’s stop the judgements.
– LB
Labour Issues
* WHY do the Ministries of Defence and Safety and Security not want to give jobs to those with HIV-AIDS?
* WHY have the Human Resources Department employees at the Ministry of Environment been working overtime since May last year? What extra work do they have to do?
* MINISTRY of Labour: Can the responsible directorate for registering qualified unemployed Namibians please give us statistics as to how many job placements they have done since the national call to register the unemployed graduates. Or was it again another way of empty promises? Please respond Ministry of Labour
* EMPLOYERS and companies please stop wasting the efforts and resources of applicants when you advertise vacancies that are already filled or freezing them afterwards. In my case I was informed that I was unsuccessful even before the closing date for applications.
City Fathers Please ...
It’s destructive veld fire time again
* MORE veld fires northwest of Windhoek. Veld fires are not only destroying nature, but also infrastructure like fences, power and telephone lines that later need to be reconstructed costing us millions of dollars. Can the law please deal with those who are causing veld fires and punish them heavily?
– Gabriel Shatumbi
Service Please
* WHY is it that it is only Nedbank who are reducing their home loan rates? What about the other banks? The housing prices are still skyrocketing.