SMSes for Monday 08 June 2009

•ARE our leaders really that insecure or do they believe that the people of Namibia mean to harm them? We, as a people, had enough of draconian behaviour under the previous government and now have to watch how new attempts are launched to limit our freedom and end our privacy rights.
 Food For Thought
 •THE public should feel sorry for Home Affairs officials.

•ARE our leaders really that insecure or do they believe that the people of Namibia mean to harm them? We, as a people, had enough of draconian behaviour under the previous government and now have to watch how new attempts are launched to limit our freedom and end our privacy rights.
Food For Thought
•THE public should feel sorry for Home Affairs officials. The workload is too much. We lack manpower.
Spy Bill
•THE Spy Bill is a step towards dictatorship – Big Brother watching you. See Orwell’s novels ‘1984’ and ‘Animal Farm’. Will the new bill help to combat corruption?
•THE ‘Big Brother’ bill will bring about political turmoil in this country. There may be benefits in this bill for the nation at large, but come on who are we fooling? Namibia is just another African state and this will be used for own political interest as well as personal interest. There is already no tolerance for the new political party (RDP), look at the number of jobs that got lost as well as the number of people who got injured during supposedly ‘peaceful’ campaigns. This is no democracy, one will get into trouble for exercising your right to freedom of speech.
•SO Mr [Minister Joel] Kaapanda not only wants to mind everyone’s private business, he wants the telecommunications companies to finance his addiction! Majorly disgusting, dangerous, and almost certainly unconstitutional! – Neville Cupido
•WHAT motive can Minister Kaapanda have for snooping on the private conversations of the citizenry? Does this not violate our Constitution? What’s next? Snooping on couples in private moments? Kaapanda has missed his calling, he should be a paparazzo!
•SPY Bill: Democracy and freedom in our beloved Namibia are headed for the drain should this bill be accepted by the NA.- Tobias
•WHAT is going on? Is Government afraid? Of whom? Is Government becoming weaker? Why the interception clause inserted in the Communications Bill? That definitely is not democracy, it sounds more like communism or dictatorship! Let’s hope that voters realise in November that Namibia needs a strong opposition in order to prevent Government from chopping and changing like they want. Unbelievable – what’s next?
• WHILE at it, why don’t they just install surveillance cameras in my bedroom or bathroom? – Tarangwayi Mzala
•SPY Bill, not the electronic banking. That’s crossing the line. Who are you scared of anyway?
•THE Spy Bill is going to cause trouble. People don’t like to feel like criminals in their own country. Invading our privacy? Including our finances? I get the shivers when I think of some stranger poking into my most private affairs, stealing my ideas, knowing who my business partners are, my business strategies, how wealthy I may be. This doesn’t sound like a decision taken in the best interest of the people. It sounds like a bunch of nosy people who have nothing better to do than to poke around in other people’s business. This is just part of someone’s personal agenda. What is the Government really trying to achieve? Either way we can kiss Vision 2030 goodbye. Zimbabwe here we come!
•THE Government spends time thinking out silly spy laws instead of focusing on the slipping economy and the social ills that beset Namibia. Zim two!
•HOW well thought out is the rest of this bill? East Germany tried this. Even being well organised (an unheard-of local trait) they got snowed under in ‘intercepted’ correspondence. How does our GRN hope to cope?
•WHERE is our democracy heading with all this hypocrisy? Apparently the Government is busy with a new Communications Bill to tap our telephone lines and all sort of communication. In whose interest will this bill be introduced? I can see that we are heading back to the old era. – Edwin
•DEAR editor, why do you want to politicise the spy bill? It was introduced in the USA in 2001 already, so we Namibians want that bill. Only those selfish unpatriotic shallow-minded Namibians will be against this bill. We want everything happening in the US to take place here also. Gone are the days when unelected people had loud voices. – The issue has nothing to do with politics but with infringing on people’s rights. – News Editor
When You’ve Got To Go
•GOOD day, I am a Namibian citizen who has a concern about the unsightly pollution along our road. Thus am very happy about the plan to put toilets along the roads. – Inge Kangootui
•PUBLIC toilets along national roads? Imagine the pollution, vandalism, crime! Who will clean these toilets? Our towns can’t even cater for public toilets! They smell a mile away in town and are usually broken. Everybody relieves themselves in town in streets, it’s disgusting! The money is better used for the poor! Be sensible!
•WE should stop this stupid roadside toilet project forthwith! We have many people who need toilets in their homes. Some are still using the old bucket system and some others plastic bags. This shows that our politicians don’t care about us at all! They only care about themselves. First build ablution facilities for all lower-income groups at Havana, R5, Rieta, and many others. People sleep in shacks, some kids are taught in tents, under trees and you want to erect roadside toilets.
•HOW can they build toilets along the road while most rural Namibians are in need of these facilities?
Bouquets And Brickbats
•I WANT to thank Dr Nickey Iyambo for the way he always shows commitment, sincerity and dedication to whatever Ministry he’s been given. Keep it up, some of us do see how you’re trying. – Mekupi K
•I AM proud of the tour of the Minister of Safety and Security around Police stations, and I think the Minister of Defence should do the same and see how soldiers are accommodated. It’s shame for soldiers to be accommodated in an entertainment hall and yet you call them barracks.
•CONGRATULATIONS Doctor Tjitunga Elijah Ngurare on your academic achievements. As a former schoolmate of yours at Kolin Foundation, I am proud of your achievements. – Ali de Wet
•TO Kallie at Peco Trading northern industry, may you be blessed in abundance. Thank you very much for your services.
• WHO is behind the commissioning of drugs to Namibia? Good job NamPol, but don’t just focus on the cocaine mules, get to the source!
•WELL done taxi driver. You have shown those criminals that not every one is a soft target. Very high time.
• I WOULD like to thank the staff at Highlands Christian School. They understand and have a holistic approach to problems. Keep up the good work. – Proud parent
•SELMA Shipanga, your article in Friday’s newspaper was very funny. You should do another one about personalised number plates. – Zonke
•CHINA, hang your head in eternal shame in remembrance of the Tiananmen Square massacre! – Pieter Mostert
General
•FOR those who don’t know: The title ‘Dr’ may only be used if you have studied for it! When an honorary doctorate is bestowed upon you, the title may not be used!
•COULD somebody please tell the nation why the Chinese are building such a big embassy in Ludwigsdorf?
•AS long as we do not have decent accommodation, we will never be equal.
• WINDHOEK Municipality, there’s a water leakage at the corner of Jenner and Willan Streets
• INSTEAD of creating a bank for SME, why not expand the SME function at the DBN?
In And From The Regions
•PLEASE Ministry of Education, do something to build a primary school at Okapuku in Oshikoto Region. Our children travel a long distance to attend school at Oshifukwa.
•IN Helao Nafidi we want to build before our hard-earned money is finished. What is going on in the town council? Our plans have taken ages but not yet approved.
Health Matters
• SWINE Flu or
not swine flu? Are the nurses of health clinics aware of the signs and symptoms of the disease? If not, how can we as Namibians fight the disease?
Education
•MATRICULANTS of 1999 at Immanuel Shifidi High School in Windhoek. It’s 10 years down memory lane. What are we going to do for our former school! Please let’s do something.
•MINISTER of Education. Can you please answer us learners. Are student teachers allowed to give punishments to learners to clean toilets while the Government employs workers to clean the toilets?
The Education Ministry Responds
•The ETSIP money is only for the directors in Education, deputy directors, inspectors of education, subject advisors? A lot of workshops, so that they can claim S&T every time. This is the money from the World Bank and should improve our education system. Is not money for individuals. They must submit their reports of their workshops to the PS.
You’ve said it very well. ETSIP money should improve our education system. All those workshops, such as the training of teachers, stakeholders’ consultative meetings, etc. are all planned and are all geared towards the improvement of the quality of education in our schools. ETSIP makes provision for those workshops and meetings and the Ministry can assure you that this provision is not being abused for S&T benefits.
Yours in Education, Public Relations Office