Thumbs Up For Holidays

I THINK The Namibian’s (figurative) breast-beating over the surfeit of public holidays and the lamentations over lost productivity is a bit over-done.

After all, the industries which really produce the productivity carry on as normal: the mines, farms and fisheries which work 24/7 anyway, retailing, and hospitality: restaurants, hotels and lodges, which obviously should benefit from holiday weekends. Banks and Government offices are closed, but they are hardly productive, in fact never do any work anyway, so it makes little difference.Schools of course are a problem, but with a bit of imagination (I know this commodity is in short supply, especially in the education sector) they could operate by organising sports events, field trips or other extramural events on holidays, thus keeping the little darlings busy.Teachers might moan, but they at least do have plenty of holidays.Come to think of it, why aren’t Namibian newspapers (alone in any country of the world, I think) published on public holidays? Do the publishers assume that their readers spend the day in a state of catatonia or alcoholic stupor on such days, so are unwilling/unable to purchase the product? Formerly, this might have been because the usual sales outlets; shops and cafes, were closed but now they are open as usual, except they have no papers to sell.And it’s not as if the papers themselves are produced on the holiday – they are presumably edited the day before, and judging by the up-to-date-ness of the news coverage, often some time before that.And when ever do you have the time to fix those leaking taps, or change your bulbs to low energy, or learn how to use that new software program, thus increasing efficiency and productivity? Only on a holiday of course.So let’s hear it for the holidays.Bill Torbitt Windhoek NOTE: The environment here is not conducive to selling newspapers on public holidays at present.Plus many outlets (that sell them) are also closed, and Namibians tend not to be newspaper readers, generally, when they’re in holiday mode.Please note that, as it is, good journalists consider themselves to be ‘on duty’ 24/7, and that newspapers work also on Sundays for the Monday editions.These are not produced on Fridays! Media also work ON public holidays if the next day is a working day.EdBanks and Government offices are closed, but they are hardly productive, in fact never do any work anyway, so it makes little difference.Schools of course are a problem, but with a bit of imagination (I know this commodity is in short supply, especially in the education sector) they could operate by organising sports events, field trips or other extramural events on holidays, thus keeping the little darlings busy.Teachers might moan, but they at least do have plenty of holidays.Come to think of it, why aren’t Namibian newspapers (alone in any country of the world, I think) published on public holidays? Do the publishers assume that their readers spend the day in a state of catatonia or alcoholic stupor on such days, so are unwilling/unable to purchase the product? Formerly, this might have been because the usual sales outlets; shops and cafes, were closed but now they are open as usual, except they have no papers to sell.And it’s not as if the papers themselves are produced on the holiday – they are presumably edited the day before, and judging by the up-to-date-ness of the news coverage, often some time before that.And when ever do you have the time to fix those leaking taps, or change your bulbs to low energy, or learn how to use that new software program, thus increasing efficiency and productivity? Only on a holiday of course.So let’s hear it for the holidays.Bill Torbitt Windhoek NOTE: The environment here is not conducive to selling newspapers on public holidays at present.Plus many outlets (that sell them) are also closed, and Namibians tend not to be newspaper readers, generally, when they’re in holiday mode.Please note that, as it is, good journalists consider themselves to be ‘on duty’ 24/7, and that newspapers work also on Sundays for the Monday editions.These are not produced on Fridays! Media also work ON public holidays if the next day is a working day.Ed