War vets should not count on cash from Govt

GOVERNMENT spending on war veterans is like a ‘bottomless ocean with no end in sight’, an opposition MP said in Parliament this week.

‘The number of war veterans will just increase in years to come and will place more pressure on scarce Government resources,’ said Michael Goreseb of the United Democratic Front (UDF) on Tuesday during the budget debate.’Government should not give in to pressure from some veterans who recently said they would only accept cash payouts and reject the projects the Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs intends to roll out for them.’ Goreseb referred to a meeting of war veterans in the North last weekend where they demanded lump-sum cash payouts, otherwise they would not vote in the presidential and national elections in November.Approached for comment yesterday, Veterans’ Affairs Minister Ngarikutuke Tjiriange told The Namibian that ‘cash only’ demands are definitely not acceptable.’Some individuals instigate others to make such demands and they also put words in the mouths of former liberation fighters. Cash payouts alone cannot liberate war veterans from poverty, thus we will come up with projects for them. I am inundated with applications from veterans for projects, they are very keen,’ Tjiriange said.’Cash payouts should only come as a token of appreciation and be only a token of appreciation and depending on the performance of our economy,’ he said.Referring to a ministerial statement he made in Parliament last week, Minister Tjiriange added that Government is considering free education, free transport and free medical care for veterans and their immediate dependents. ‘Who will reject such offers, including free housing for those veterans who will be selected to receive them?’ he stated.Tjiriange said further that lump-sum cash payouts to war veterans in other countries did not have the desired results. ‘Most went on spending sprees and blew the money, afterwards they had nothing, that was no good,’ he said.