SMSes For Tue 17 Mar 09

Food For Thought

* I WENT to one bank last Saturday. I was late. I wanted to get in but the security guard refused, and said I must pay him N$20. The bad thing is not that he asked, but that I paid because I needed to deposit money urgently. Only later did I realise that I was as corrupt as the guard. We must change our attitude towards corruption, if we are to eradicate it. We should stop looking for shortcuts.

Politics
* FOUR parties in Swapo: Pohamba party, Jerry Ekandjo and Peter Ilonga, Nuuyoma and son, Hage and Pendukeni. Namibia will be free from autocracy.* MY request goes to those people who put on political clothes in church and at family parties to stop it.* SINCE power and equality in representative political systems depend on the right to vote, it has inevitably become the duty of every Namibian to vote for a political party of their choice. But this duty which every citizen supposed to be freely entitled to has now turned into a costly exercise resulting into politically motivated violence. Can political parties stop jeopardising the democracy and hard-won freedom of this beautiful country?* THE content of Gwen’s Friday column gave me a laugh of my life. Madam, when will you submit to the fact that Swapo is still the force that it has been? The erosion of Swapo dominance is a far-fetched hallucination. Please just bear with the IPPR truthful findings that Swapo is strongly retaining its dominance in the electoral landscape. The target is a 72 seats swoop. What you say will just strengthen us. Viva Swapo!- Fikameni, Okalongo* SWAPO is your mother, your father and your liberator, those were Minister Ngatjizeko’s words. Then look into the matter of children of the liberation struggle, as your kids and you a parent.* I FIND it ridiculous when our leaders urge youth to go vote, yet the number of unemployed graduates increases every year! Is it really fair to help people keeping their positions when yourself are suffering? – Unemployed qualified teacher* IT is critical for President Pohamba to know that a big quarter of Swapo, particularly those aligning themselves with Nujoma, do not honestly want him in the driving seat. They simply want him for strategic reasons, it is election year. Pohamba must see the realities and take a stand against the politics of instrumentation. He is just surrounded by hyenas ready to swallow him when the time comes.Running The Show* I AM not Swapo, but I don’t understand complaints about 4x4s for chiefs. This is also a form/layer of Government concerned with the wellbeing of society. It has been there even before Christian and political leaders. Both the latter leaders are driving such cars (GRN and for example ELCRN pastors) already. Why should traditional leaders not be taken care of from the National Budget? How long should they volunteer? What privileges did they have? Yes I agree they should not be involved in politics, just like religious leaders should not be to serve the purpose of checks and balances of society’s leaders. Otherwise if we don’t trust the political leaders’ intentions with this, let’s pay some form of taxes directly to traditional leaders in their respective jurisdictions as we benefit from their efforts in curbing ills and providing counselling.* BUYING 4x4s for traditional leaders is a waste. These leaders don’t care about their subjects. To them money comes first. Look at the four O regions. No more grazing space even for goats. They sell every patch of land in and around villages. No more traditional grazing areas in the North. They are allowing even oldest paths connecting villages to be fenced off. They have became inhuman. They don’t know how to manage the land. OK, buy them 4×4 to buy votes. City FathersPlease …* REGARDING the potholes in the tarred roads in the municipal areas, do I have any case against the City of Windhoek? Readers and newsdesk please help.Bouquetsand BrickbatsThanks for bringing us some relief* KUDOS to NamWater for the hard work done to restore water to Ongwediva. Thank you.* WE will keep ‘telling it like it is’ through The Namibian newspaper, it is a pity for those who don’t want to hear it like it is. Madam Lister we salute you.- Okwanza-Sul* HAS the Polytech nothing better to do with N$20 000 than to congratulate its rector? A simple press statement would have cost nothing.Education* HOW does the Government work? There are no chairs, desks, no food from the Government at Shituwa Secondary School. Pupils in school are taught standing.* I WONDER what happened to NIMT standards. There is no longer quality service. Students stand in the buses. There are no lockers and to make things worse you get up to 60 people in the workshop. I think its no more about education but about money. * THE Ministry of Education should select candidates for scholarships based on academic achievement and merit not because of the number of subjects done on higher level. Some of us did well on ordinary level but are not considered. Preference should be given to graduates as they have shown the ability to pass.- ConcernedHealth Matters* MY three-year-old son was diagnosed with nerve cancer on February 12 He is undergoing treatment in Cape Town, which will continue non-stop for 51 weeks (1 year). I wanted to know how does the Cancer Association of Namibia help in such a case.- Concerned MotherNo FurtherOprah Winfrey knows about abuse* THE article in Friday’s The Namibian about domestic violence was for me an ointment for my sore soul, because I am also a single mother suffering from all the abuses stated. But I decided that I am going to stand my ground and say no more. For my children. The people at Women and Child Abuse, Police and at the court were caring and very helpful. To all women in the same boat, there are people out there that care what happens to you and yours. * I WATCHED Oprah on Sunday on NBC. I am hurt to see a woman abused by her husband. I am also nervous because my husband has all the signs of woman abuse, I’ve kept it a secret. Where can I go for help in Namibia concerning woman abuse?- Jollie* Rachel Coomer from the Legal Assistance Centre provided some tips on where you can go for help. 1) Report the problem to the Police. This could be at any Police station, or if there is a Woman and Child Protection Unit, go there. 2) Go to the Magistrate’s Court to apply for a [protection order. 3) Phone Lifeline/Childline. 4) Go to a shelter (only currently available in Windhoek and at the coast). If you don’t feel comfortable with these speak to a friend or pastor. Speaking out is often the first step and the person may then develop the courage to seek other help. People can contact us for a copy of the Guide to the Combating of Domestic Violence Act, which explains in detail how to obtain a protection order. This can also be accessed from our website: www.lac.org.na – NewsdeskGeneral* I AGREE that SMS messages should be short to give space to more people.* Please NBC why can’t you play ‘The Ties That Bind’ for the whole week? In And FromThe Regions* THE GRN must do something. We are tired of expensive cement. One bag of cement is up from N$89 to N$140 in the North. And we can’t afford to buy this cement.* ONGWEDIVA Town Council your service is very poor and irritating when it comes to removing garbage. It takes a month. Please change that attitude. We want our yard surroundings to look neat.* WHAT is the point of a PS leaving his office to come and manage the flood crisis here? Are there no capable people in the regions? Mr (Erastus) Negonga (from the Ministry of Regional and Local Government and Housing) please go back to your office. This is a case of misplaced priorities.* I AM very unhappy with the report in Informanté of February 12 where the story about dog meat said it is a delicacy for Ondonga people. The article is insulting to the Ondonga people as not everyone in Ondonga eats dog meat. Dog meat is eaten by people from all tribes in Owamboland. And Justice for All* CAN someone, please, explain to me why people have to pay N$300 if a criminal case is withdrawn at the court? Does it mean even if you are not guilty that this record will stand as a criminal record? Especially at the Katutura Court. Can the chief of lower courts explain please.- You don’t need to pay if your case is withdrawn, unless it’s an admission of guilt fine that you pay, which means that you don’t go on trial. – NewsdeskSporting* HOW come Namibian viewers cannot watch the FA Cup? Please Supersport we also want to see the remaining fixtures.- An Arsenal fanService Pleasen NORED, your vendor at Okongo has no electricity. Until when must we suffer from this poor service?* MVA how’s your service. It’s now seven months that I am left with braces in my mouth and the doctor refusing to attend to me because they have not been paid. Come on you promised to cover my medical aid up to the cost of N$200 000.- Virginia, a claimant at MVA Fund.ACC AlertQuestions about Okahandja* ACC came to the Okahandja Municipality for the following points. 1) Kompong, Nau Aib. 2) Toilet cemetery, Nau Aib; 3) Town lands and plots; 4) Senior staff qualifications; 5) S &Ts; 6) Leave days. Please! ACC do something about it! Swapo please replace some staff and councillors before our municipality gets bankrupt. – Okahandja resident* THE ACC should please come to Tsumeb where a councillor is (allegedly) tampering with the teaching and learning at the town. Principals no longer have any say in schools, what the councillor says goes. How far is this going to go? The Ministry of Education as well as the ACC should do something please.* ACC: Namibians, when is corruption corruption? First State House hosted Jacob Zuma on behalf of Swapo now President Pohamba went to Cuba to forge Swapo partnership with the Cuban Communist Party with public funds.* OTAVI Village Council has not been paying over workers’ PAYE tax or pension funds and the Government didn’t take any steps. Those who owe the council for services have been given over to lawyers. According to the auditors’ report the council has written off N$2,8 million. ACC please come and investigate.* THE recruitment of teachers in the Onesi circuit is not done fairly. Under qualified people are being favoured at the expanse of rightfully qualified teachers. The Director and the ACC should intervene to stop this.

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