Insincere Sentiments

I WAS disturbed and disappointed to read ‘Vying for the Glittering Crown: The Top Ten’ published in The Namibian of Friday, May 28 2004.

One of the Miss Namibia finalists, Thea Heesakkers, was quoted as saying: “I’d like to do something I believe in and will give my time for the people on the streets. They need a second chance in life and many of them have the potential to progress in life.”Now that is all very laudable, but why on earth does she have to wait until she is possibly crowned as Miss Namibia before she volunteers her time to help the homeless? Her comments come across as lip-service to a worthy cause; jumping on the politically correct bandwagon.Surely if she was serious about this she would be involved already? Is she saying this just to get more votes from the judges? Those of us working with the homeless and unemployed know that these people are largely ignored by Namibian society, and the one thing they do not need is false promises.If you are serious, Thea, you are more than welcome to volunteer your services at The Big Issue Namibia, one of the few projects working in this area to provide support for the socially excluded.We look forward to hearing from you.Sarah Taylor Editor: Big IssueThey need a second chance in life and many of them have the potential to progress in life.”Now that is all very laudable, but why on earth does she have to wait until she is possibly crowned as Miss Namibia before she volunteers her time to help the homeless? Her comments come across as lip-service to a worthy cause; jumping on the politically correct bandwagon.Surely if she was serious about this she would be involved already? Is she saying this just to get more votes from the judges? Those of us working with the homeless and unemployed know that these people are largely ignored by Namibian society, and the one thing they do not need is false promises.If you are serious, Thea, you are more than welcome to volunteer your services at The Big Issue Namibia, one of the few projects working in this area to provide support for the socially excluded.We look forward to hearing from you.Sarah Taylor Editor: Big Issue