No holiday for reality Chris Jacobie Thursday, May 8, 2014 - 10:00 NAMIBIANS should enjoy the holiday season of April and May and perspective and common sense should not take leave as well. In spite of the risk of stating the obvious, a few facts must be revisited to prevent the stones from shouting them out A few weeks ago the Omusati Region hit the political headlines, because of a so-called new party that was supposed to be founded under the guise of a cultural organisation from within the Aangandjera tribe. The way it was represented indicated a threat from traditionally the most solid of Swapo foundations in their northern strongholds, where it is not unusual to record votes of more than 100% in some constituencies, and most even uncontested. The rumours of disunity in the Omusati Region would prove just the opposite, and with eight of the Northern tribes staying in the area since it was first demarcated after independence, it is rather the best example of unity and peaceful co-existence of society anywhere in Namibia. It would be factually wrong to portray the Aangandjera as the most influential and biggest kingdom, while they are in fact amongst some of the smallest sharing the Omusati Region with the Kwanyama, Ondonga, Ombalantu, Ombandja, Uukolonghadi, Uukwaludhi, and Uukwambi tribes, as well as a significant number of Zemba people who live close to the Kunene River within the Uukolonkadhi area. Another and more interesting fact is that 55,3% of homes are headed by females in Omusati, the region of Governor Sophia Shandingwa who sounded an obvious false alarm and cannot or doesn’t want to clear up the confusion in an area where women reign supreme, from political to homestead level. The sad fact of this Omusati rebellion and obvious false alarm is that holders of public office were brought under suspicion and therefore their offices, like the Office of the Auditor-General and the Head of the City Police must be distinguished by their impartiality on all levels. Then there are the unsuccessful efforts to bring the international travel of the prime minister in disrepute. It is a pity that an attempt had to be made to clarify an issue that should have never needed clarification in the first place. Namibia has the distinction of serving its second term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. In fact, Namibia itself is the product of the international community and a benchmark that the international community can still not attain elsewhere. The Speaker, Dr Theo-Ben Gurirab was the president of the United Nations General Assembly. The distinguished Ambassador Tuliamene Kalomoh was an assistant secretary-general of the UN and he brokered the Liberian Peace process, and the transition to the first woman president for that country. Namibia played a decisive role in solving the East Timor crisis through the capable leadership of Ambassador Martin Andjaba. It was instrumental in stopping hostilities in the DRC the first time and putting the DRC on a path to recovery, which they then left on their own accord. And now the international community is inviting Namibia’s, most likely, future president Dr Geingob, because they know and respect his international experience and surely want to get a foot in the door of a new government. It is, in fact, a great compliment, a motion of confidence in Namibia, and an achievement that again proves that a prophet is not always honoured by his peers. Namibia is known for being one of the few paid-up members of all international bodies. Off course, Namibia must travel and, off course, Namibia must be re-presented by the highest offices of the land, the Founding Father who is still invited to foreign countries, the Head of State, President Pohamba, and Prime Minister Dr Hage Geingob. Namibia punches well above its weight in the international community and the nation can be proud of this. After independence, this small, somewhat secluded country became a respected citizen of the world. There are many governments or heads of states who do not dare leave their countries, or will never get invited and are even under sanctions with their ministers and families. Namibians must rather appreciate their international status and even improve on it if possible. That is what will be needed in a world that increasingly becomes one without borders. Thirdly, there is the debate about restricting social media, Facebook, Twitter, etc. The facts are that according to real life statecraft, and the Namibian record of democracy and free speech and assembly, what is desirable may not likely be happening. Facebook users are not the most diplomatic or the most educated, but care to speak or make their opinions known. The best way forward is for parties and leaders to deal with their own members who do not follow the rules, rather than to shut out the nation and society from development and information that is crucial for the future of the ill-disciplined and the well-disciplined alike. To shut down communication tools that are of use to the broader population will be costly. It will make more sense to invest in social media as a tool to promote responsible governance and improve knowledge by bridging vast distances and gaps in infrastructure. Perspective and common sense should be recalled from holiday, and not allowed to ignore the obvious national and international achievements of Namibia.
Posted on: Fri, 09 May 2014 08:00:01 +0000
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