Poverty should be priority: Geingob

GOVERNMENT is not spending nearly enough on poverty alleviation, Swapo MP Hage Geingob said in the National Assembly at the end of last week.

As the first round of debate on the National Budget reached its final stretch, Geingob said it was unacceptable that people were going hungry and that schools were filled with starving children. “If we could spend nearly N$2 billion bailing out Air Namibia, then we can spend N$1 billion on poverty alleviation,” he said to applause from the House.He suggested that a comprehensive document be drawn up outlining how Government should deal with poverty alleviation and said that with the amount of money being spent on other sectors, there was enough money to set up an office for implementing a poverty alleviation strategy.An emotionally fired-up Geingob even agreed with earlier opposition calls for increasing old-age pensions to N$500.Pensioners will not receive any increase in their pensions through this National Budget.Geingob also referred to calls from the churches for the introduction of a basic income grant for all Namibians, saying “people are suffering in Katutura, children are starving in schools”.Geingob said Government could not tolerate such a situation, given the large number of game and livestock farms in the country and the size of the fishing industry.He volunteered livestock from his farm to feed the hungry and said farmers should donate a cow every month to a school where the children were starving.”We cannot allow people to go hungry,” he said.The country’s first prime minister said the Budget had to be in line with clear-cut deliverables, which had to be translated into goods and services to the people.He further took issue with the treatment of the country’s heroes, saying it was unacceptable that some of their graves could no longer be identified.Geingob said Government had to take care of its heroes while they were alive, pointing out that former Deputy Prime Minister Hendrik Witbooi did not even have a car since his retirement.”While we are alive, let’s take care of one another,” he said.”If we could spend nearly N$2 billion bailing out Air Namibia, then we can spend N$1 billion on poverty alleviation,” he said to applause from the House.He suggested that a comprehensive document be drawn up outlining how Government should deal with poverty alleviation and said that with the amount of money being spent on other sectors, there was enough money to set up an office for implementing a poverty alleviation strategy.An emotionally fired-up Geingob even agreed with earlier opposition calls for increasing old-age pensions to N$500.Pensioners will not receive any increase in their pensions through this National Budget.Geingob also referred to calls from the churches for the introduction of a basic income grant for all Namibians, saying “people are suffering in Katutura, children are starving in schools”.Geingob said Government could not tolerate such a situation, given the large number of game and livestock farms in the country and the size of the fishing industry.He volunteered livestock from his farm to feed the hungry and said farmers should donate a cow every month to a school where the children were starving.”We cannot allow people to go hungry,” he said.The country’s first prime minister said the Budget had to be in line with clear-cut deliverables, which had to be translated into goods and services to the people.He further took issue with the treatment of the country’s heroes, saying it was unacceptable that some of their graves could no longer be identified.Geingob said Government had to take care of its heroes while they were alive, pointing out that former Deputy Prime Minister Hendrik Witbooi did not even have a car since his retirement.”While we are alive, let’s take care of one another,” he said.