SMS of the Day : Tuesday

* AS long as people turn a blind eye to what is happening around them for fear of persecution and reprisal when speaking out, our so-called democracy and freedom of expression will remain the sham it is and negate any so-called ‘freedoms’ gained at Independence. Worse still, we no longer can stand up and be counted by name, as the majority of the SMSes sent to The Namibian are testimony to. – Edwin B

Food for Thought * WE need a new party in this country that works for social transformation. We need a real opposition to the existing totally disillusioned hopeless parties which are based on ethnicity and race. We need real non-racial nationalism.* I HAVE had enough with our GRN spending a lot of money on buying expensive luxury cars. Somebody please explain to me why the NDF needs a Toyota Landcruiser VX latest edition, a car that cost ± N$800 000. I’m sure whoever is driving it can’t even afford a car half that price. – A Very Concerned CitizenSPYL Spillover* I STILL believe and feel that the SPYL needs to be called to order. I am glad that SPYL itself has noticed that some ministers are “allergic” to it. Instead of trying to find out why the ministers (who are Swapo members) are “allergic” to SPYL, SPYL preferred to run to the press! That’s what we call washing your dirty laundry in public! A word of advice to SPYL: some of us from the public are not allergic, we are past allergy, we are now sick and tired of their remarks and behaviour.* I FOUND nothing wrong with what the SPYL said concerning the recruitment of assistants to ministers. These assistants are political appointees and are not full public servants as some want us to believe!* THE Swapo youth need to learn that if you are paid a salary you are expected to earn it. Just because our party is the ruling party it does not mean that we can run around and do as we want, and then cry foul when our duties and responsibilities are pointed out to us. We have a duty to the people of this nation, occasionally also known as the taxpayers, who foot the bill for our salaries and who expect us to work in the interest of the people of this nation. We can sacrifice our after-hours time for the party.Politics In General* I AM unhappy with the speech of our President (Hifikepunye Pohamba) during the unveiling of the late Kaulinge statue in Ohangwena Region. As a teacher I think the leaders are either naive or ignorant of their own mistakes. They rushed into the concept of education reform, while they haven’t laid the proper infrastructure in place. It is shameful to hear that teachers should be innovative and creative to change education. After creating their own mess. For the Head of State to insinuate that teachers send their own children abroad for better education, I think the President got his facts wrong. Teachers get peanuts for the work they do. Can I send a child abroad with peanuts, not even enough to make ends meet? They are the elite with their kids studying abroad.* THE message of the State President at the unveiling of the statue of Mwadikange Vilho Kaulinge in the North, that teachers send their children to other schools other than where they teach, makes sense. Teachers know the conditions of their sub-standard schools and believe they will not be able to meet the needs they have for their children. However, this is not exclusive to the teachers. Children of most of our politicians and the well-to-do Namibians do not even go to schools within the borders of Namibia. The question of improving education in terms of teacher education and equipping all the schools to the acceptable standards remains the starting point of building confidence in our own schools and the education system. The State President should, therefore, make sure that ETSIP gets the money it needs and that the money is used only for what it is intended, to improve the education and training sector.Service Please* IT is eight forty on Monday morning and africaonline are not answering their telephone.* IT’S time the GRN took issue with banks who charge people a fee for putting money in their own accounts. And why are ATMs of Bank Windhoek not able to accept deposits, forcing people to pay over the counter?* PLEASE! GRN must look at the prices at Oshikango, which are very high, especially for cement and zinc sheets.General* I AM a nurse in Ohangwena Region and would like to hear from the Inland Revenue which formula they use when deducting tax from our overtime worked on Sunday and public holidays. Why should they use 34,5 per cent when for the salary they use 15 per cent. Please give feedback.* THE writer who calls the Ondonga traditional authority has no respect and should be disciplined. The pensioner was not fined by the traditional authority but by the headman. If you don’t know something, it is better to be quiet. Insulting the Ondonga traditional authority is bad and won’t be tolerated.* PLEASE let me know who is responsible if shebeens’ customers break bottles in front of your place or in the road. l think it is the owner of the shebeen.* WHAT happened to the case of the lady whose house was attached because she owed a butchery an amount of N$500. We are supporting law reform that will protect people’s shelters/houses/ immovable property. City of Windhoek. Financial bond lenders etc take note. Let me hear from like minds on the topic soonest.* I NEED an explanation of the word, “entertainment”. I don’t understand, because some management cadres in the Government are given money for entertainment, but they use it to buy their own food for their houses and liquor for their bars or shebeens. Some management cadres in some regional councils do that. The ACC should investigate these regional councils.* IT is very interesting to learn that all the diplomats accused of [allegedly] bullying and abusing their employees are women! What is wrong with our women bosses? You were supposed to be role models in this third world nation, what a shame!Disconnections* MTC we are at Betesda Farm Lodge. There is no network coverage, can you please look into this matter?* ONE Africa when is the big Telecom deal happening?* WHAT is wrong with NBC? They can’t even show how the national soccer team played over the weekend. This is why most people say NBC stands for Namibia Boring Channel. I support them, it’s true.Sporting* THANKS to the Lord who gave the good idea to the people who set up the Boxing Federation so that Mr Tyson Uushona can continue with his talent. I hope that one of these days he will became a world champion. May God bless you Tyson.Bouquets And Brickbats* CONGRATULATIONS Mr Paulus Noa (head of the Anti-Corruption Commission) for providing excellent service. Keep up the good work.* ONE Africa Television thank you for bringing us the Idols show, but please, please will you treat your viewers by broadcasting the finals live. One Africa, Free TV for all.* I REALLY enjoyed reading ‘The Rambling Rambler’ of Friday 18 July.* PLEASE bring back the Word-Builder in The Weekender. I need to improve my vocab!* THANKS to the Acting Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Trade and Industry for challenging the banks for their over-the-top charges. We value your efforts, hope you succeed.* I NOTICED Mr [John] Sampson’s column missing. Pity.* WHATEVER happened to ‘Critical Art Review’ by John Sampson in Friday’s Weekender? I enjoy reading them and look forward to it.* A WRONG quote in the article by ‘Absolute Anonymous’. It’s Kwame Nkrumah, not Kaunda, who said: “We look neither east nor west”. It makes me wonder how much in the article is made up. Check your facts. – In our Quotes Of The Day on July 1, the quote was correctly attributed to Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah. – News Editor* I’M so disappointed in Africa, how could we allow real talent to slip through our hands by voting out Amara from the African Idols? Shame on you Namibia and to the rest of Africa!! – NadiaEducation* THE Ministry of Education’s HIV awareness programme in schools is disastrous. We hear in Rundu and other parts of kids as young as eight years being exposed to condom use and other unpalatable material. This is absurd. Please Minister do something. – Concerned Parent.* CAN the Anti-Corruption Commission investigate the delay of refunding when a person is over-deducted but claims a refund, it takes years or you can get nothing from IOL.* EDUCATION office in Otjiwarongo please explain to us how one gets paid one month and the next month you aren’t. Medical aid is being deducted but you are not given a card or a number. We don’t even receive our bonuses or back pay. Please director do something.* EDUCATION, does the ETSIP differentiate among rural and urban learners, English language speakers and non-English learners, well and poorly equipped schools, etc. Are the ministers really interested in the total education of Namibia? Nantu, TUN, how happy are your teachers? National strike?* MINISTRY of Education what happened to the maths and science posts? There are only a few posts. We spend the whole year on the streets with our diplomas.* HOW do officials in the Ministry of Education (department of scholarships) do the nominations? Especially foreign scholarships. I always apply with my 36 points and As-Bs in science, but even the Cuba scholarships for financially disadvantaged people like me did not take me. Need help.* WE are appealing to the Government and NGOs to assist Oshitutuma Primary School, in Ondobe circuit, in completing a two-classroom building, which is currently at a standstill because of financial constraints. The Namibian, the newspaper of the nation, come and witness how learners are suffering because of a lack of classrooms.In And From the Regions* HENTIES BAY: What is transparency? A public question meeting with the council has been called off because of NBC TV’s willingness to be present. What is behind the curtains (truth)? Viva Walvis Bay NBC staff. Wake up Omdel.* PENSION pay point queues. Why are the pension pay-point queues that long and only elderly members of one group found? Why are the paymaster’s vehicles always late, or their equipment faulty? Why can’t the convenient payment system (bank) be for all? The Government should look at the system in place and make the necessary changes for our elderly, and most important the ones who receive on behalf of their family member who are left with nothing. Let’s act now for their betterment. John, Otjiwarongo* WE need a new party in this country that works for social transformation. We need a real opposition to the existing totally disillusioned hopeless parties which are based on ethnicity and race. We need real non-racial nationalism.* I HAVE had enough with our GRN spending a lot of money on buying expensive luxury cars. Somebody please explain to me why the NDF needs a Toyota Landcruiser VX latest edition, a car that cost ± N$800 000. I’m sure whoever is driving it can’t even afford a car half that price. – A Very Concerned Citizen SPYL Spillover * I STILL believe and feel that the SPYL needs to be called to order. I am glad that SPYL itself has noticed that some ministers are “allergic” to it. Instead of trying to find out why the ministers (who are Swapo members) are “allergic” to SPYL, SPYL preferred to run to the press! That’s what we call washing your dirty laundry in public! A word of advice to SPYL: some of us from the public are not allergic, we are past allergy, we are now sick and tired of their remarks and behaviour.* I FOUND nothing wrong with what the SPYL said concerning the recruitment of assistants to ministers. These assistants are political appointees and are not full public servants as some want us to believe! * THE Swapo youth need to learn that if you are paid a salary you are expected to earn it. Just because our party is the ruling party it does not mean that we can run around and do as we want, and then cry foul when our duties and responsibilities are pointed out to us. We have a duty to the people of this nation, occasionally also known as the taxpayers, who foot the bill for our salaries and who expect us to work in the interest of the people of this nation. We can sacrifice our after-hours time for the party.Politics In General * I AM unhappy with the speech of our President (Hifikepunye Pohamba) during the unveiling of the late Kaulinge statue in Ohangwena Region. As a teacher I think the leaders are either naive or ignorant of their own mistakes. They rushed into the concept of education reform, while they haven’t laid the proper infrastructure in place. It is shameful to hear that teachers should be innovative and creative to change education. After creating their own mess. For the Head of State to insinuate that teachers send their own children abroad for better education, I think the President got his facts wrong. Teachers get peanuts for the work they do. Can I send a child abroad with peanuts, not even enough to make ends meet? They are the elite with their kids studying abroad.* THE message of the State President at the unveiling of the statue of Mwadikange Vilho Kaulinge in the North, that teachers send their children to other schools other than where they teach, makes sense. Teachers know the conditions of their sub-standard schools and believe they will not be able to meet the needs they have for their children. However, this is not exclusive to the teachers. Children of most of our politicians and the well-to-do Namibians do not even go to schools within the borders of Namibia. The question of improving education in terms of teacher education and equipping all the schools to the acceptable standards remains the starting point of building confidence in our own schools and the education system. The State President should, therefore, make sure that ETSIP gets the money it needs and that the money is used only for what it is intended, to improve the education and training sector.Service Please * IT is eight forty on Monday morning and africaonline are not answering their telephone.* IT’S time the GRN took issue with banks who charge people a fee for putting money in their own accounts. And why are ATMs of Bank Windhoek not able to accept deposits, forcing people to pay over the counter? * PLEASE! GRN must look at the prices at Oshikango, which are very high, especially for cement and zinc sheets.General * I AM a nurse in Ohangwena Region and would like to hear from the Inland Revenue which formula they use when deducting tax from our overtime worked on Sunday and public holidays. Why should they use 34,5 per cent when for the salary they use 15 per cent. Please give feedback.* THE writer who calls the Ondonga traditional authority has no respect and should be disciplined. The pensioner was not fined by the traditional authority but by the headman. If you don’t know something, it is better to be quiet. Insulting the Ondonga traditional authority is bad and won’t be tolerated.* PLEASE let me know who is responsible if shebeens’ customers break bottles in front of your place or in the road. l think it is the owner of the shebeen.* WHAT happened to the case of the lady whose house was attached because she owed a butchery an amount of N$500. We are supporting law reform that will protect people’s shelters/houses/ immovable property. City of Windhoek. Financial bond lenders etc take note. Let me hear from like minds on the topic soonest.* I NEED an explanation of the word, “entertainment”. I don’t understand, because some management cadres in the Government are given money for entertainment, but they use it to buy their own food for their houses and liquor for their bars or shebeens. Some management cadres in some regional councils do that. The ACC should investigate these regional councils.* IT is very interesting to learn that all the diplomats accused of [allegedly] bullying and abusing their employees are women! What is wrong with our women bosses? You were supposed to be role models in this third world nation, what a shame! Disconnections * MTC we are at Betesda Farm Lodge. There is no network coverage, can you please look into this matter? * ONE Africa when is the big Telecom deal happening? * WHAT is wrong with NBC? They can’t even show how the national soccer team played over the weekend. This is why most people say NBC stands for Namibia Boring Channel. I support them, it’s true.Sporting * THANKS to the Lord who gave the good idea to the people who set up the Boxing Federation so that Mr Tyson Uushona can continue with his talent. I hope that one of these days he will became a world champion. May God bless you Tyson.Bouquets And Brickbats * CONGRATULATIONS Mr Paulus Noa (head of the Anti-Corruption Commission) for providing excellent service. Keep up the good work.* ONE Africa Television thank you for bringing us the Idols show, but please, please will you treat your viewers by broadcasting the finals live. One Africa, Free TV for all.* I REALLY enjoyed reading ‘The Rambling Rambler’ of Friday 18 July.* PLEASE bring back the Word-Builder in The Weekender. I need to improve my vocab! * THANKS to the Acting Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Trade and Industry for challenging the banks for their over-the-top charges. We value your efforts, hope you succeed.* I NOTICED Mr [John] Sampson’s column missing. Pity.* WHATEVER happened to ‘Critical Art Review’ by John Sampson in Friday’s Weekender? I enjoy reading them and look forward to it.* A WRONG quote in the article by ‘Absolute Anonymous’. It’s Kwame Nkrumah, not Kaunda, who said: “We look neither east nor west”. It makes me wonder how much in the article is made up. Check your facts. – In our Quotes Of The Day on July 1, the quote was correctly attributed to Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah. – News Editor * I’M so disappointed in Africa, how could we allow real talent to slip through our hands by voting out Amara from the African Idols? Shame on you Namibia and to the rest of Africa!! – Nadia Education * THE Ministry of Education’s HIV awareness programme in schools is disastrous. We hear in Rundu and other parts of kids as young as eight years being exposed to condom use and other unpalatable material. This is absurd. Please Minister do something. – Concerned Parent.* CAN the Anti-Corruption Commission investigate the delay of refunding when a person is over-deducted but claims a refund, it takes years or you can get nothing from IOL.* EDUCATION office in Otjiwarongo please explain to us how one gets paid one month and the next month you aren’t. Medical aid is being deducted but you are not given a card or a number. We don’t even receive our bonuses or back pay. Please director do something.* EDUCATION, does the ETSIP differentiate among rural and urban learners, English language speakers and non-English learners, well and poorly equipped schools, etc. Are the ministers really interested in the total education of Namibia? Nantu, TUN, how happy are your teachers? National strike? * MINISTRY of Education what happened to the maths and science posts? There are only a few posts. We spend the whole year on the streets with our diplomas.* HOW do officials in the Ministry of Education (department of scholarships) do the nominations? Especially foreign scholarships. I always apply with my 36 points and As-Bs in science, but even the Cuba scholarships for financially disadvantaged people like me did not take me. Need help.* WE are appealing to the Government and NGOs to assist Oshitutuma Primary School, in Ondobe circuit, in completing a two-classroom building, which is currently at a standstill because of financial constraints. The Namibian, the newspaper of the nation, come and witness how learners are suffering because of a lack of classrooms.In And From the Regions * HENTIES BAY: What is transparency? A public question meeting with the council has been called off because of NBC TV’s willingness to be present. What is behind the curtains (truth)? Viva Walvis Bay NBC staff. Wake up Omdel.* PENSION pay point queues. Why are the pension pay-point queues that long and only elderly members of one group found? Why are the paymaster’s vehicles always late, or their equipment faulty? Why can’t the convenient payment system (bank) be for all? The Government should look at the system in place and make the necessary changes for our elderly, and most important the ones who receive on behalf of their family member who are left with nothing. Let’s act now for their betterment. John, Otjiwarongo