Political perspective

IT may sound like a modern-day rapper’s words but in fact it was Bobby Seale of the Black Panther movement in the US who said way back when that ‘the only solution to pollution is more revolution’. He was of course referring to ‘pollution’ in a political sense. And while I would qualify my wish for the revolution to be a peaceful one, I would nevertheless concur that the time has come for us all to shake ourselves out of the complacency that is destroying all prospects of this country becoming the place we fought for it to be: a peaceful, democratic state, with a place in the sun for everyone.

BUT things are not turning out that way, and whereas our recent apartheid past was characterised by oppressive racism which we fought tooth and nail, now our society is primarily about greed and avarice, and accompanying deterioration at all levels. And we have to fight against this too.As a young idealist in the late ’60s and ’70s, I was inspired by events at home in Africa and abroad, particularly in the US, to commit to changing the world for the better in whatever I did in life. And I was reminded of this when I watched a recent documentary on John Lennon which focused on that period in American history when the Vietnam War was at its height and the peace movement that gave so much inspiration to many of my generation.And I couldn’t help but draw parallels, because history, after all, repeats itself all the time in one form or another and I am continually astounded how the world, no less Namibia, never seems to take lessons from the past.Here we were, a people who believed in all the right things to liberate ourselves from the yoke of colonialism, and once achieved, we lost sight of all the good things we fought for to create a better life for all. What is going on with us now? Is this truly what we want for our country and people? It is insanity that we’re indulging in senseless rivalries while Namibia is struggling to get on its feet. This is no way to make a country work. Look at our scenario in all good conscience: a political landscape characterised by vindictive in-fighting; millions going into the pockets of the greedy while our people are suffering; deteriorating health and education systems; a work ethic that is crumbling at a frightening rate … and above all, a failure to recognise that we’re currently copying the mistakes of an African past that we resolved we would not repeat.Who, in all of this, still has the real interests of Namibia at heart? Even many of those who gave their all for the liberation of the country have so quickly forgotten their ideals in the race for money and power. So many have failed to keep the faith!And in thinking back to the events in history that inspired me, I also thought of our freedom struggle. Not least of all on the diplomatic front where we mobilised the international community to support our goals. And I remember the many people overseas who supported it. Selfless individuals who gave heart and soul for the liberation of Namibia, a distant struggle in a faraway country. Black and white and people of colour from a variety of countries who helped give voice to our struggle abroad, as some of us supported similar struggles for peace and justice in other parts of the world. I remember the euphoria of the time, the belief in a fight for what was right and just, and I recall their contribution too.And now even some of those who led our struggle are exhorting violence against people from countries abroad, and I wonder how those who helped Namibia feel about us now? Someone once said that ‘patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel’, and while we love our country and our people we must take great care not to act like the tyrants we once fought against. We do need a revolution of sorts to stop us in our tracks before we end up with a country that is in wrack and ruin. Yes, an integral part of our struggle was the chance even to make our own mistakes and yet to learn from them, but it is no excuse that we continue to abuse that prerogative, because we’re destroying our country at the expense of generations to come.And the only way to ‘revolt’ against what is happening is to expose it and ensure we commit to putting things right in the interests of the majority of our people.We liberated ourselves from colonial rule, but that’s where it ends. We have yet to liberate our minds. Imagine, like the lyrics of the John Lennon song of the same name, the difference that would make?