MP wants more money spent on defence force

IF the Namibian Defence Force is not strong, the country’s sovereignty could be at risk, a Swapo MP in the National Council (NC) said yesterday.

“A strong Defence Force is a credible deterrent against potential hostile forces while a weak Defence Force makes a country a recipe for invasion,” said Bartholomeus Shangheta. He was speaking during debate on the N$46,5 million allocated to the Ministry of Defence in the Additional Appropriation Bill currently being reviewed in the NC.Shangheta said the defence budget needed to be increased so that the living and working conditions of soldiers can be improved.”Human resources are the most important resources in defence.Even if you buy sophisticated equipment, if people are not motivated, they will not perform their duties successfully,” he said.Shangheta said Namibian soldiers also needed modern infrastructure, such as institutions of learning and proper living quarters.”This is what we need to make our soldiers ready to perform their tasks,” said Shangheta, who is one of the oldest members of the NC.While he is aware that defence is not the only priority for Government and that the country needs money to grow the economy, this does not mean defence should be neglected, he said.He said the future was unpredictable and one needed to have a reliable defence force.”Some people argue that there is no threat and that spending money on our soldiers is a waste of resources.We should remember that it takes a long time to train soldiers and it is dangerous to train them during the actual threat of war,” Shangheta added.He was speaking during debate on the N$46,5 million allocated to the Ministry of Defence in the Additional Appropriation Bill currently being reviewed in the NC.Shangheta said the defence budget needed to be increased so that the living and working conditions of soldiers can be improved.”Human resources are the most important resources in defence.Even if you buy sophisticated equipment, if people are not motivated, they will not perform their duties successfully,” he said.Shangheta said Namibian soldiers also needed modern infrastructure, such as institutions of learning and proper living quarters.”This is what we need to make our soldiers ready to perform their tasks,” said Shangheta, who is one of the oldest members of the NC.While he is aware that defence is not the only priority for Government and that the country needs money to grow the economy, this does not mean defence should be neglected, he said.He said the future was unpredictable and one needed to have a reliable defence force.”Some people argue that there is no threat and that spending money on our soldiers is a waste of resources.We should remember that it takes a long time to train soldiers and it is dangerous to train them during the actual threat of war,” Shangheta added.