SMSes for Fri 24 Apr 09

* AS a young Namibian I am totally disappointed by what happens in Parliament. You sit there and portray what looks like a battle of political parties who act in their own parties’ interest rather than the interests of the nation. If an MP of the other parties asks relative questions, they are laughed at and discouraged to speak by members of the ruling party.

* AS a young Namibian I am totally disappointed by what happens in Parliament. You sit there and portray what looks like a battle of political parties who act in their own parties’ interest rather than the interests of the nation. If an MP of the other parties asks relative questions, they are laughed at and discouraged to speak by members of the ruling party. MPs please have the interests of the nation at heart and not sit there and make a circus of a platform where solutions should come forward.
* WITH one of the longest coastlines on the continent one would expect fish to be cheap and aplenty in Namibia but alas there’s so little in shops and where available it’s horrendously expensive! Can someone explain the economics behind what one would call a naturally occurring resource? We can’t all troop to the coast to eat fish! Something fishy. – Nony

Food For Thought
* HONOURABLES snoozing. Voting for what? Shame on you leaders. A pay increase of 24%. The Namibian folks’ interests are not at heart any more. May God have mercy on us. – Mario
* MR President, we want the outcome of the DBC and other commissions before the election, to make the right choice. Or is it still a State secret? – Koshigambo

Election Fever
* THERE we have it. Just as I thought the amendment bill on elections is already at Local Government. Can the minister please tell the nation why it is lying on his table and collecting dust? Please Minister why are you afraid to table the Bill?
* MOST of the poor and working class workers might not be able to exercise their democratic right to vote in November because the Cash Loan sharks are withholding their IDs and passports. How will these people vote now? Epangelo Nali Tale po Nawa.

Home Affairs
* THE process at Home Affairs is a good example of a bad system in place. Long queues and long delays and empty offices. Please streamline for efficiency!
* FOREIGN investment. How can we improve this because Home Affairs gives a one-year permit. Who can invest for a year? Someone got one year and SA gave him five years. What a policy.
* MY wife applied for a work permit two years ago and I for an investor’s permit a year ago. No response. Are you serious about creating employment, Namibia?
* MINISTRY of Home Affairs Northern Industrial Area, you are stealing money from Government. On Monday after lunch where were you? Even your colleagues didn’t know where you were. I was very disappointed and I’m talking about certain staff who deal with birth certificates for other regions. Please supervisors, control your people.

General
* What I want in our country is development. I don’t care how Independence came about, what I want is the results of Independence. What is the need of still talking about the liberation struggle at this time while people are suffering in this 1,8 million population nation? Independence is only for you who eat everything you want but from the poor taxpayers’ money. The liberation struggle is the history that is already in the books and the teachers are there to teach history. If you don’t know what to do about bringing development, just give up because you failed the nation.
* CITY of Windhoek please help! Is it not possible for pictures to be taken of the group of 10 men and women who are grabbing our handbags, cellphones, jewellery, etc. Their pictures should be shown before or after the NBC news.
* SO many SMSes are saying money spent on Air Namibia and the NDF is a waste. Can these people explain the operations of these organisations and why it’s a waste to spend money on them?
* THE person who is looking for places that sell second-hand clothes can call 081-257 399. – Your cellphone number arrived short one digit. Please resend so we can publish. – Newsdesk

Bouquets And Brickbats
* PLEASE let the Police stop telling the nation that the person who reported the crime is working where or is a neighbour to the house broken into. They put that person in danger. Remember, criminals are reading the papers too.
* WELL done The Ugly Creatures! Namibians long for real live band music and performances. Now for the original Ndilimanis, those gifted musicians! Pamo, Cheetah, Amos, Banana, Fanco, where are you guys? Like The Ugly Creatures, you are one of those few breeds of local musicians who can write their own music and play real instruments. Come on guys, you are committing an injustice by withholding your gifts. – Music Lover
* CONGRATS and best wishes to Harry Simon for keeping his head up. Brother, we’re looking forward to see you back in action, good luck and I wish you strength with your training. – Tutala n I FULLY agree with Andrew Meyer about the ‘Ndeshi & Jakes’ cartoons. In fact I would go a step further to say that The Namibian should seriously consider replacing the strip completely! The drawing isn’t too bad but the artist’s premises are lame and sometimes quite incomprehensible. Come on Namibian, you can do better…? – Theo
* ENOUGH with the Ndeshi & Jakes strip – its very boring and sometimes even offensive. There are many good cartoonists in our country. Try them out…

Education
* ‘SHARING the prospects’. Why is it that Government schools like Charles Anderson are always short of textbooks and force kids to share textbooks in almost every subject in Grade 9, while this is the base of high school education, which of course makes the playing field uneven and causes stress and under-performance during normal school term, when does one get the book when you both need the book for homework or studying for exams! – M Ronakin
* COLLEGES OF EDUCATION: Surely, our current and future generations will remain uncertain regarding handwriting. Government must definitely intervene to rescue this tragedy. Never try to underestimate this practice as it was, has been and remains a priority to our children. Minister, allow kids in Grades 1-3 to be trained in order for them to master the proper handling of pen/pencil. I think this is one of the basics each learner needs. Stop the ignorance.
* I WOULD like to advise NIED to please consider acquiring or producing DVDs on various topics of various subjects for all grades. Some schools especially those in rural areas have neither access to technology like Internet nor means to reach to places, facilities and features that are of importance to their knowledge on each subject area. Books offer limited information hence sources in motions and with verbal expressions would enhance understanding even further. They should consider including interviews to serve as primary sources or evidence in future.
* PLEASE Ministry of Education, when are we getting student loans? We want to study properly without fear of not writing examination because of outstanding fees. And the Government must consider the students who are studying Public Management, we don’t get bursaries because we work in public sectors, the Government must consider us and give us enough money to study as well. – PoN student

In And From The Regions
* IGNORANCE or what is it? I know that our radio and TV presenters were born and grew up in Namibia but why it is so difficult for them to pronounce names of towns or regions in their country as they are? Please say Oshakati not Oshiketi, Otjozondjupa not Osicetyupa. You are even confusing the foreigners who get those names right. – Tate Dumbo
* OUR hospital yards looks like cattle grass camps. In the colonial regime, inmates were cleaning state-owned premises. Why is it impossible today? Please, do something!
* WALVIS Bay traffic take your work seriously please. There are lots of misbehaving and careless drivers.
* CAN the Kamanjab Village Council please build toilets for us at the service station when passing to Palmwag.
* OUTAPI Town Council, you created a mess by trying to level the streets with a grader. Now all the streets are terribly dusty. How about sprinkling some water? Otherwise this is another shantytown.
* COUNCIL of Okongo please do something about those potholes at the gate of Oshela before it’s too late, or who must do that job? Those potholes can cause accidents any time. – Williez, Ondalulilwa

Service Please
* KEETMANSHOOP IOL centre switch on for Grade 12 distance learners! Stop promising people that you have quality study materials due to the fact that, until now, many learners haven’t received assignments and answer books. Grade 12 distance learners are crying!

Labour Issues
* WILL the manager of Kraatz Marine in Walvis Bay please let the casual workers know how for long you have to work before you are appointed permanently.
* WHY can’t the Government come clean on the maternity leave issue? Maternity is unpaid leave. Imagine paying N$500 for 28 months. I am so traumatised that I think I will never have another baby while working for the Government. – Concerned teacher
* LABOUR law. First of all, why do some cases take so long to be finalised? Companies exhaust us financially. Please help GRN. – Concerned man
* I WONDER how long it takes for Napwu and the Public Service to re-grade the salaries for clerks in the public service compared to accountants and human resource personnel as was announced by Napwu early this year. Can Napwu provide civil servants in that category with feedback?

Sporting
* NFA Presidency, I’m one of those from the regions who is not in good standing with the current NFA president Mr John Muinjo simply because he thinks Namibian football is only about NPL teams. We need someone who can develop from grassroots level the second and first divisions. We also need monthly grants like the NPL teams. I hope the next president will look into this matter. We are tired of being neglected.