In 1927, French philosopher Julien Benda warned in his book ‘The Treason of the Intellectuals’ that a society rots when people who know better stay silent to stay close to power.
Benda argued that European intellectuals in the 19th and 20th centuries often lost the ability to reason dispassionately about political and military matters. Instead, they became apologists for crass nationalism, warmongering and racism. We are not suggesting any similarity between those times and prevailing situations.
By “intellectuals”, Benda meant people such as civil servants, academics, legal experts and technocrats who held positions of influence and were entrusted with defending the truth.
In Namibia’s case, it could be equivalent to officials such as advisers, executive directors, chief executives, boards of directors and senior civil servants.
Two top offices are set to change hands this year. There has been public debate for years about the effectiveness of prosecutor general (PG) Martha Imalwa and Anti-Corruption Commission director general Paulus Noa, whose terms are drawing to an end.
This week the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) announced the search for Imalwa’s successor would start afresh after all previous eight shortlisted candidates failed the written assessment, with the highest score being 49%.
Imalwa’s record carries credit and controversy. She is praised for pushing for the Fishrot prosecution to go ahead in the face of delaying tactics by the likes of former justice minister and Fishrot accused Sacky Shanghala.
But her office also twiddled its thumbs over some serious corruption files, including the SME Bank theft of N$247 million.
Namibia cannot afford a PG who lets the powerful run down the clock. The JSC must ensure that the next attempt is based on competence alone.
Appointing a PG on the basis of political favour would further weaken the prosecuting authority and betray the very public it needs to serve.
The same instinct, to bow to power rather than question it, plays out far from the courts.
Last week, the Roads Authority (RA), the state-owned enterprise responsible for maintaining the country’s national roads, installed speed humps on a national highway to help reduce pedestrian deaths. They implemented this following a decision by works and transport minister Veikko Nekundi.
Instead of telling the minister his idea was not practical, RA bosses caved. Board members were allegedly afraid to question the minister.
That fear is the treason Benda referred to in ‘La Trahison des Clercs’ about people who are more worried about keeping their cushy top jobs.
The minister is right to look at new ways to protect pedestrians. And drivers have a responsibility to strictly obey road rules.
However, people’s lives should not be put at risk.
