Political Perspective – Questions On The Land Question

CAN’T figure out why the Prime Minister, who was hand-picked to give a rather mind-boggling, pseudo-State of the Nation address on the land issue last week, has since been replaced by the Lands Minister in subsequent announcements and press conferences on this issue. The whole drama, I’m afraid, whoever was responsible for the stage and set design, has been badly and clumsily handled.

SINCE then things have gone from bad to worse. Government clearly doesn’t have a coherent set plan for this land reform process and that’s most worrying.The Prime Minister’s statement raised more questions than it gave answers, and we said so.Thereafter Lands Minister Hifikepunye Pohamba was suddenly propelled onto the stage in Parliament, apparently to clarify matters further, but that didn’t really help; and then he followed up with a press conference later in the week and we’re still largely in the dark about the whole affair.Then Government also appeared to have been somewhat embarrassed that none other than Jonathan Moyo, Zimbabwean Information Minister, “just happened” to be in town at the time of the Prime Minister’s announcement.Government, it appeared, wasn’t aware this would be the case, but this is hard to believe as the press knew about it the week before Moyo arrived.Anyhow, whether his visit had any bearing on the new twist in the land redistribution policy is debatable, but it did put a certain slant on things that was not particularly desirable, given the turmoil of emotions around this issue.Now any landowner, according to Pohamba, whether “black or white”, risks expropriation.Nice try.Why on earth would Government suddenly evict a black farmer, when they’re at pains to point out that all black Namibians, whether advantaged or disadvantaged, are eligible to get land if they so desire? Having thought things through, I’m almost certain Government’s public announcement was motivated by the fact that this is an election year, and Swapo wanted to curry favour with the majority-black electorate.Again, I don’t know why it bothered.No matter the extent of grumblings about the slow pace of land reform, Swapo would still win the election.But now it has not only sown confusion at home, but also promoted international consternation and concern about the move.I simply cannot understand why Government doesn’t leave the commercial farmers alone for the time being, and concentrate its efforts on what was agreed in 1991, namely, the so-called chequebook farmers or absentee landlords, and there are enough of them to start with.For some reason, though, it’s hands off the foreigners and instead we are targeting the commercial sector, most of whom are Namibians in any case.I’m not the only one who would like more clarity on the lists of people waiting to be resettled.Why can’t Government come clean on how this is being decided? Is there any kind of screening process? And how are the lists ordered: on the basis of first come, first served? Or a merit system? In which case, how is Claimant A being given preference over Claimant B? It would surely make sense to look at who’s making a bid for ground, and why.It is absolute and utter nonsense to maintain that every black Namibian, even among those who’ve accumulated vast wealth since Independence, is ‘disadvantaged’ and therefore in line to be given land.Reminds me of the ‘Namibianisation’ of our fishing industry.I mean, who has benefited? The poor, the landless? No, the elite.And if they’re not back in bed with the very people they wanted to take the fishing quotas from in the first place, then they’re scoring high dividends for being simply a name on a piece of paper.Something’s wrong somewhere.In both these cases: fish and land, both areas key to our economy.Government really ought to think this whole thing through before they stuff up the country good and proper.The way it looks to me right now, land reform is currently geared at improving neither the economy nor the plight of the landless.And if so, what is the point in all the upheaval that is being caused?Government clearly doesn’t have a coherent set plan for this land reform process and that’s most worrying.The Prime Minister’s statement raised more questions than it gave answers, and we said so.Thereafter Lands Minister Hifikepunye Pohamba was suddenly propelled onto the stage in Parliament, apparently to clarify matters further, but that didn’t really help; and then he followed up with a press conference later in the week and we’re still largely in the dark about the whole affair.Then Government also appeared to have been somewhat embarrassed that none other than Jonathan Moyo, Zimbabwean Information Minister, “just happened” to be in town at the time of the Prime Minister’s announcement.Government, it appeared, wasn’t aware this would be the case, but this is hard to believe as the press knew about it the week before Moyo arrived.Anyhow, whether his visit had any bearing on the new twist in the land redistribution policy is debatable, but it did put a certain slant on things that was not particularly desirable, given the turmoil of emotions around this issue.Now any landowner, according to Pohamba, whether “black or white”, risks expropriation.Nice try.Why on earth would Government suddenly evict a black farmer, when they’re at pains to point out that all black Namibians, whether advantaged or disadvantaged, are eligible to get land if they so desire? Having thought things through, I’m almost certain Government’s public announcement was motivated by the fact that this is an election year, and Swapo wanted to curry favour with the majority-black electorate.Again, I don’t know why it bothered.No matter the extent of grumblings about the slow pace of land reform, Swapo would still win the election.But now it has not only sown confusion at home, but also promoted international consternation and concern about the move.I simply cannot understand why Government doesn’t leave the commercial farmers alone for the time being, and concentrate its efforts on what was agreed in 1991, namely, the so-called chequebook farmers or absentee landlords, and there are enough of them to start with.For some reason, though, it’s hands off the foreigners and instead we are targeting the commercial sector, most of whom are Namibians in any case.I’m not the only one who would like more clarity on the lists of people waiting to be resettled.Why can’t Government come clean on how this is being decided? Is there any kind of screening process? And how are the lists ordered: on the basis of first come, first served? Or a merit system? In which case, how is Claimant A being given preference over Claimant B? It would surely make sense to look at who’s making a bid for ground, and why.It is absolute and utter nonsense to maintain that every black Namibian, even among those who’ve accumulated vast wealth since Independence, is ‘disadvantaged’ and therefore in line to be given land.Reminds me of the ‘Namibianisation’ of our fishing industry.I mean, who has benefited? The poor, the landless? No, the elite.And if they’re not back in bed with the very people they wanted to take the fishing quotas from in the first place, then they’re scoring high dividends for being simply a name on a piece of paper.Something’s wrong somewhere.In both these cases: fish and land, both areas key to our economy.Government really ought to think this whole thing through before they stuff up the country good and proper.The way it looks to me right now, land reform is currently geared at improving neither the economy nor the plight of the landless.And if so, what is the point in all the upheaval that is being caused?