Govt fails to deliver

GOVERNMENT has done a huge injustice to the development of sport in Namibia over the years and that is unfortunately a sad reality that currently keeps this nation from delivering the goods on that front.

It is shocking and incomprehensible to think that Government spends less than N$5 million a year on sport and yet expects athletes to rake in medals or become instant world-beaters.I have written in this column numerous times that Government is taking Namibian sportsmen and women for granted. The most logical explanation is that sport is not a priority for Government. That is a fact and I know that the sportsmen and women who have endured the hardships of making it to the top will concur with me.Namibia’s leading sports sponsor, MTC, through its spokesman, Albertus Aochamub, hit out at Government late last week, describing them as fast asleep for failing to realise the potential benefits of sport and what role it can play in society. Many issues that Aochamub spoke about can be blamed on Government because they are the custodians of all Namibian sportsmen and women. Government has the responsibility to take the initiative and put the needs of our athletes first.Interestingly, Aochamub said that there is no mention of the word ‘sport’ in the Vision 2030 report. I personally read the report and saw no real targets set out for us to achieve on the sporting arena, nor is there any mention of sport in the manifesto of the ruling party, let alone other political parties who are aspiring for the highest office.In fact, like one of my fellow sports writers in his column, I concur that the speeches that are now made by Government officials tasked with sport are stale, lack substance and there is nothing to write home about. Same old rhetoric talk with no action.They are still stuck in the age-old tradition of Namibia’s fairytale run at the 1998 African Nations Cup, the heroics of Frank Fredericks on the athletics track and it stops there. Another is the plea to the private sector to pour in money, while they themselves do not make a meaningful contribution. This is my country too and will put my pride aside. I have to call a spade a spade.There is no mention of how they wish to transform sport in Namibia and move it to the next level. There is no mention of how they want to source funding for progressive codes, form partnerships with the private sector to advance sport, identify talented sportsmen and women and hone their skills as future champions or don’t even have a roadmap on how sport should evolve in the next five years. Nothing. If there are such initiatives, I need to be proven wrong. I doubt it will happen though.We simply do no have our priorities right and that leads me to the fundamental question of funding.Government has invested hopelessly in sport over the years and I can tell you that even Fredericks worked his own way up to become what he is today from his own pocket and those of a handful of sponsors, while others nowadays are receiving nothing from Government.Government has such good friends in the international domain that they have signed numerous bilateral relations with over the years. When are we making use of those opportunities by loosening up those bilateral ties to our benefit? Are they going to remain ties that are just tied for ever?Why don’t we make use of our good neighbours such as South Africa to tap knowledge on setting up facilities such as High Performance Centres or a School of Excellence for the talented ones? When is the Government going to realise that the more people one involves in sport, the lower the crime and unemployment rate becomes. Sport unites people and it brings a sense of discipline and a purpose in ones life.Government should ask itself these questions and many others, but most importantly, they have to ask themselves where their priorities lie.Is it for politicians to safeguard their futures by allocating so much funding to some poorly run ministries and agencies which are not serving the masses in any way, or do they want the many talented sportsmen and women to have no futures? The Government must remember that it becomes dangerous if the private sector starts to ask questions about its (Government’s) role to uplift its own people. corry@namibian.com.na