Party promises won’t stop crime

NAMIBIANS were once again shocked this week to hear the news of the brutal killing of a radiographer at the hands of her boyfriend at the Nurses’ Home in Katutura.

In a separate incident the head of a security company was shot dead in cold blood, also in the capital. The litany of violent acts involving guns, knives and yes, even hammers, continues across the country.We are not only increasingly becoming an intolerant society, but also an excessively violent one, and there are really no innovative action plans to tackle these problems.President Hifikepunye Pohamba recently warned, as he does quite often, against violence, and promised that Swapo would leave ‘no stone unturned’ in the search for solutions to challenges such as these. It has to be said that Swapo has had nearly two decades to promote tolerance and curb violence, but with little concrete improvement.Said one of our reporters in a news story on political party promises on crime and safety this week: ‘(t)he state of affairs on crime, safety and corruption has since become not only a threat to local communities, but also to the stable atmosphere needed for investment and socio-economic stability and development.’The various political parties contesting the 2009 presidential and national elections don’t really offer any huge hope on diminishing the crime rate.Swapo promises a society premised on the rule of law as well as a responsive judicial system. It also promises to strengthen the capacity of law enforcement agencies and build more and bigger prisons.The Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) recognises the seriousness of the crime wave, and pledges stiffer sentences for serious offenders, more resources for police to fight crime. The United Democratic Front (UDF) says it would put an additional 1 000 new police recruits on patrol and would enforce a night curfew for those under the age of 18.The pledges and promises are all part of the various party manifestos, but do voters really know which parties will stick to their commitments and which will not? There also appears to be an absence of really key action plans in regard to the fight against crime by all concerned.What, for example, is the attitude of most parties towards gun control? This would seem to be an absolutely crucial debate if we are intent on getting a grip on crime, for this seems to be the weapon of choice for most violent acts. Get rid of the guns and there is no doubt that we would have a far more peaceful society, but it appears as if none of the political parties want to embark on such a programme. And if not, why not? How serious then can they be said to be about fighting crime if gun control doesn’t play a part?If people believe that the solution to crime is more guns in circulation, then things will surely go from bad to worse. And yet we are told it is almost standard practice these days for especially young men to carry them. The Police do need to account as far as gun licences are concerned and we await their answers to questions from our reporters as to the status quo on these weapons.Few of the parties have any specific plans to tackle crime. Swapo’s promise of more prisons fails to address the cause of the problem, and probably, of all the parties, the UDF is the one which has been most specific on what they would do to address this scourge. The rest are primarily rather vague promises on making our courts more effective placing more focus on victims’ rights.Right now, though, very little is being done by the Government and the violence simply continues.We know what the consequences of this crime wave are: unless curbed, people will begin to feel more and more unsafe, not only in their homes but also in their towns or villages, as the criminals continue to arm themselves and act with impunity, often in broad daylight.It is important that our electorate, when they decide on which party to vote for, make their choices issue-based. And for the parties in turn, it is incumbent on them to do more than simply waffle about promises that will never be kept. If they make specific, targeted pledges, it will be easier for voters to hold them to account.