Enter Another White Elephant…

If you thought establishing a Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB) was an unnecessary addition to an already bloated and inefficient bureaucracy, you are in for yet another surprise.

Your chief of information is coming! And you’ll have to pay a high price to access public information.

The government is appointing an information commissioner and a deputy commissioner. And, just like the NIPDB, noted as much for its investment drive as for its generous salaries and travel perks, the information commissioner will pocket a cool annual salary of N$1.4 million, more than the prime minister’s estimated N$1.3 million. 

This translates to a monthly salary of N$120 000, plus a range of benefits. 

The commissioner will get a vehicle allowance based on the price of a ‘benchmark vehicle’ financed over 54 months at 17.5% interest. Benchmark vehicles are listed as a Mercedes-Benz E400 or BMW528i.

The package includes a subsistence and travel allowance equivalent to that of a deputy minister, while the police will provide security for the commissioner and his or her residence.

One wonders what type of sensitive information demands police protection?

The commissioner will also receive non-taxable income of N$10 000 a month and a housing allowance of N$13 269. Other monthly benefits include a water and electricity allowance of N$4 020 and a telephone allowance of N$250.

The deputy commissioner’s salary is pegged at N$1.1 million. Benefits include a N$10 615 housing allowance, N$2 784 for water and electricity, a N$40 000 furniture allowance, and N$8 000 for entertainment.

WHYS AND WHEREFORES

We are told the commissioner will be an independent and impartial person responsible for promoting, monitoring and protecting the right of access to information in Namibia.

The commissioner would not be appointed by the president but selected through a formal recruitment process.

However, about a week or so ago, an announcement from the National Assembly said the recruitment process had been halted. The catchword here is “halted” not cancelled. 

I am not overly worried by the stratospheric salary package and other extravagant benefits for the commissioner and deputy. We’re used to that.

The current deputy minister of education, Dino Balloti, used to get N$150 000 a month as a consultant at the NIPDB. So just imagine what the chief executive there gets. 

I am more concerned about the need and rationale for such a position.

Does the Access to Information Act require the recruitment of an information commissioner?

My understanding is that the act gives every Namibian the right to request information held by public institutions and, in some cases, private entities as well. 

The question is where and how will the information commissioner get the information? And what type of information is it that we cannot get through normal channels?

TINTED WINDOWS

Most government institutions, municipalities, town councils, parastatals, universities and private entities have well-paid spokespersons and public relations officers who should be able to provide information to the public.

In addition, most information is available online. This brings into question the role of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology.

What is it, in the broader scheme of things, if not to provide information to the public?

I disagree with those who argue that we need a centralised entity in the person of an information commissioner and a deputy to implement the act.

A person based at Opuwo, Outapi, Okakarara, Gibeon or Katima Mulilo should be able to go to their town councils and get the information they need. And those town councils should be able to provide the information as the act requires. 

So where does the information commissioner come in? A person who is, after all, highly protected by the police or just cruising by in a tinted-window BMW528i? 

BY HOOK OR BY CROOK

It seems that Namibian taxpayers will have to pay a high price to access public information by spoiling two individuals to do so.

Or maybe we’ll get the real information through some brave souls like Johannes Stefansson, the whistleblower, and Al Jazeera, which highlighted the corruption allegations in the Fishrot case.

I would argue that it’s one thing to access information but quite a different ball game to have your problems attended to.

Some ministers and civil servants simply don’t answer calls or, if you’re lucky, you’ll be told: I’ll call you right back, and that’s the end of the story. These are people with iPads and telephone allowances paid for with taxpayers’ money.

Some do not even respond to letters sent to them. 

My own experience is a case in point. In 2024 I wrote to defence and veterans minister Frans Kapofi about my war veteran status. Up until now, I haven’t received a response from that ministry.

LET’S CUT TO THE CHASE

People are sent from pillar to post.

So, it is inefficiency that needs to be addressed before we can talk of access to information.

Many people in this country suffer from a disease called ‘a little learning is a dangerous thing’. Whoever came up with the idea of an information commissioner is an intellectual oxymoron. So are those supporting that idea.

In conclusion, there are many avenues through which the public can access public information. We do not need to establish another monster.

* Alexactus Kaure is a freelance writer and deconstructionist scholar.

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