The poor should be priority: Kaura

HOUSING, access to potable water, better education and even more money for pensions had to be major priorities of Government, as too many people were still living without these necessities, the DTA said.

DTA leader Katuutire Kaura said in the National Assembly that although rural electrification was commendable, it was a grave concern that many people in the Kavango and Caprivi did not have potable water, even though they lived near major bodies of water. He said people could survive without electrification but it was unacceptable that not everybody had access to water.The N$70 increase in pensions did also not deserve praise when the State was spending millions on a “house for one man and his family”, he said.”I cannot be grateful for small mercies.That is a serious joke, which is totally unacceptable.We shall continue to demand an increase to N$600 next time, not N$500,” said Kaura, who has been relentless over the years in pushing Government to raise pensions.”While more than half a billion is spent on a house for one man and his family, namely the State House, we can never be satisfied that the people who built Namibia must continue to live on peanuts 16 years after Namibian Independence,” said Kaura.Also worrying, he said, was that too many were still without shelter, especially in urban areas where shantytowns were growing.He was of the opinion that municipal housing with the option to buy was the way to go to get roofs over the heads of the poor.”That is the way we will bring a lasting facelift to our towns,” said Kaura.He said the National Housing Enterprise (NHE) was only catering for the needs of medium-income groups, and that the Build Together Programme had failed the lower-income groups.”The Build Together Programme has turned into a steal-together programme,” charged Kaura.He told MPs that they could expect him to bring a motion to the House soon, so that the matter could be discussed in detail.Kaura further expressed concern that the 2006-07 Budget would allocate more money for the hiring of foreign nurses, while local nurses were opting for positions in the private sector or overseas because they were not receiving the benefits they expected.Kaura welcomed the N$475 million allocated through the three-year Medium Term Expenditure Framework for developing tourism, as well as the N$3 billion allocation to education.He said he hoped that Government would soon close down its distance-learning college, Namcol, in favour of allowing Grade 10 and 12 failures to return to the classroom for face-to-face interaction with teachers.Kaura was of the opinion that the Police and Defence budgets needed to be interchanged – saying that more money was needed to fight ever-increasing crime, rather than to a bolster a defence force in a peaceful nation.The Defence Ministry will receive more than N$1 billion through this Budget, while the Police will receive N$746 million.Kaura said Namibia had enjoyed years of peace and this was expected to continue, but the war on crime was an ongoing problem.He said people could survive without electrification but it was unacceptable that not everybody had access to water.The N$70 increase in pensions did also not deserve praise when the State was spending millions on a “house for one man and his family”, he said.”I cannot be grateful for small mercies.That is a serious joke, which is totally unacceptable.We shall continue to demand an increase to N$600 next time, not N$500,” said Kaura, who has been relentless over the years in pushing Government to raise pensions.”While more than half a billion is spent on a house for one man and his family, namely the State House, we can never be satisfied that the people who built Namibia must continue to live on peanuts 16 years after Namibian Independence,” said Kaura.Also worrying, he said, was that too many were still without shelter, especially in urban areas where shantytowns were growing.He was of the opinion that municipal housing with the option to buy was the way to go to get roofs over the heads of the poor.”That is the way we will bring a lasting facelift to our towns,” said Kaura.He said the National Housing Enterprise (NHE) was only catering for the needs of medium-income groups, and that the Build Together Programme had failed the lower-income groups.”The Build Together Programme has turned into a steal-together programme,” charged Kaura.He told MPs that they could expect him to bring a motion to the House soon, so that the matter could be discussed in detail.Kaura further expressed concern that the 2006-07 Budget would allocate more money for the hiring of foreign nurses, while local nurses were opting for positions in the private sector or overseas because they were not receiving the benefits they expected.Kaura welcomed the N$475 million allocated through the three-year Medium Term Expenditure Framework for developing tourism, as well as the N$3 billion allocation to education.He said he hoped that Government would soon close down its distance-learning college, Namcol, in favour of allowing Grade 10 and 12 failures to return to the classroom for face-to-face interaction with teachers.Kaura was of the opinion that the Police and Defence budgets needed to be interchanged – saying that more money was needed to fight ever-increasing crime, rather than to a bolster a defence force in a peaceful nation.The Defence Ministry will receive more than N$1 billion through this Budget, while the Police will receive N$746 million.Kaura said Namibia had enjoyed years of peace and this was expected to continue, but the war on crime was an ongoing problem.