2007 Must Be A Year Of Action And Of Expectation

A TELLING comment was made by a Cambridge official following last year’s shocking Grade 10 results: the exams were too demanding.

With that he shrugged off a situation that will see more than 15 000 young Namibians on the streets with little hope of furthering their education. What else are exams meant to be but demanding? Life out there is demanding, work is demanding, governing is demanding.As far off the mark as it was, the official’s comment is indicative of an all too common malaise in Namibia: an acceptance of the status quo, or expecting things to land in our laps, individually or collectively.And if they don’t, excuses flow thick and fast.As 2007 gets into full swing, it is time to take stock of the challenges we face and, more importantly, to assess our attitude on how we meet them.A lackadaisical approach just won’t cut it.No one doubts that Government has a formidable workload.Critical issues such as the failing education system, HIV-AIDS, a limping justice system and chronic unemployment will remain on the front burner for years to come.But limp excuses that they are too demanding, or too formidable, will not get us anywhere.We need our leaders to demonstrate the ability to take crucial decisions in response to the situation on the ground, not leaders who try and perfect the art of the excuse, or of fudging issues.We want a government that understands it is working FOR the people – all the people, all the time.This means, civil servants should show up for work on time, be accessible to the public, approach their work from the position that they want to HELP the people who pay their salary.The people who pay their salary, incidentally, are not the Ministers and Permanent Secretaries.They are the taxpaying citizens of Namibia.Tied directly to this goal is the notion that there needs to be an openness in Government that does not exist in Namibia.The situation has improved somewhat under President Hifikepunye Pohamba, but too many officials still regard information as their secret preserve.Government is accountable to the people and the people need to know what Government is doing, how it is doing it, when it is doing it, how much it is costing the people.Information in the Government helps the people to make decisions.When information is withheld, or only shared among the select few, how can a democracy flourish? We need to see a greater sense of urgency in getting to grips with issues.The Anti-Corruption Commission is one example of Government signalling the right intentions but not following through vigorously enough.So far only the ‘small fry’, predominantly from the ‘have-not’ section of society, have been targeted.Now we need to see the ACC getting to grips with the ‘big fish’.Government can also not afford to let this year’s Swapo extraordinary congress to elect a new party leader sidetrack it.It is no secret that manoeuvring within the ruling party has sapped energy from Government which could have been better directed in the national interest, hampering development and economic growth.President Pohamba needs to be allowed to govern the country in the best interests of all its people.We, the people, also need to be more pro-active.We should not accept second best.We must not accept the status quo.We should hold our leaders accountable.We must expect our Government to perform.What else are exams meant to be but demanding? Life out there is demanding, work is demanding, governing is demanding.As far off the mark as it was, the official’s comment is indicative of an all too common malaise in Namibia: an acceptance of the status quo, or expecting things to land in our laps, individually or collectively.And if they don’t, excuses flow thick and fast.As 2007 gets into full swing, it is time to take stock of the challenges we face and, more importantly, to assess our attitude on how we meet them.A lackadaisical approach just won’t cut it.No one doubts that Government has a formidable workload.Critical issues such as the failing education system, HIV-AIDS, a limping justice system and chronic unemployment will remain on the front burner for years to come.But limp excuses that they are too demanding, or too formidable, will not get us anywhere.We need our leaders to demonstrate the ability to take crucial decisions in response to the situation on the ground, not leaders who try and perfect the art of the excuse, or of fudging issues.We want a government that understands it is working FOR the people – all the people, all the time.This means, civil servants should show up for work on time, be accessible to the public, approach their work from the position that they want to HELP the people who pay their salary.The people who pay their salary, incidentally, are not the Ministers and Permanent Secretaries.They are the taxpaying citizens of Namibia.Tied directly to this goal is the notion that there needs to be an openness in Government that does not exist in Namibia.The situation has improved somewhat under President Hifikepunye Pohamba, but too many officials still regard information as their secret preserve.Government is accountable to the people and the people need to know what Government is doing, how it is doing it, when it is doing it, how much it is costing the people.Information in the Government helps the people to make decisions.When information is withheld, or only shared among the select few, how can a democracy flourish? We need to see a greater sense of urgency in getting to grips with issues.The Anti-Corruption Commission is one example of Government signalling the right intentions but not following through vigorously enough.So far only the ‘small fry’, predominantly from the ‘have-not’ section of society, have been targeted.Now we need to see the ACC getting to grips with the ‘big fish’.Government can also not afford to let this year’s Swapo extraordinary congress to elect a new party leader sidetrack it.It is no secret that manoeuvring within the ruling party has sapped energy from Government which could have been better directed in the national interest, hampering development and economic growth.President Pohamba needs to be allowed to govern the country in the best interests of all its people.We, the people, also need to be more pro-active.We should not accept second best.We must not accept the status quo.We should hold our leaders accountable.We must expect our Government to perform.