We must never walk alone Chris Jacobie Thursday, October 23, 2014 - 08:00 Off the Desk No citizen can be proud of the image of failure of duty, intolerance and crimes against the vulnerable confronting them when they stand in front of the Namibian mirror. Even the best and most virtuous cannot divorce themselves from the image of corruption, division and selfserving interest by the smallest of so-called interest groups. Like the fog in the bathroom, that obscures the true reflection, Namibians must not allow election expediency to further distorts the image that should mirror the true state of the nation. Reality should not be confused with the political desperation through bankruptcy that is on display now. One of the most profound statements since independence is an appeal by the Prime Minister, Dr Hage Geingob, that the other tribes should stop blaming Oshiwambo-speaking people for the perceived unequal distribution of wealth in the country and thereby make them feel guilty about development in the north. It is high time that leaders stood up for this community and dr. Geingob could not choose a more appropriate time. Had it been a sermon, the Namibian congregation would have shouted amen. But dr. Geingobs plea reminded Namibians how often citizens fail each other. This is where the image becomes distorted because of a blurred and ignorant image of the true Namibian reality where wrong perceptions get a cloak of truth. The prime minister displayed an honesty and responsibility that all Namibians should learn from. It should put the mind of every Namibian at rest and prove what every Namibian knows of dr. Geingob. His plea on behalf of the Awaambo again proves the competence and commitment of the moist likely future president towards the constitution. The venomous accusations since independence against the Oshiwambo-speaking community – especially those residing in the North – are an example of intolerance that was and still is unfair. Very few Namibians had not made a hurtful remark towards this group in the past. However, when the pot is again stirred because of elections it is nothing but opportunism that exposes some moral bankruptcy by the accusers. and should not be allowed to take root. Common sense and democracy will destroy the political malicious. Namibians cannot afford that the Oshiwambo-speaking community who, despite extreme sacrifices, are still at the forefront of reconciliation, despite daily challenges in a harsh and hostile enviroment isolate themselves and their valuable contrtibutions to peace, stability and entrepreneurship, because they feel victimised. Namibia cannot afford it. Apart from anything else, democracy itself and commitment to voting is the very fibre of a successful democracy. People in this region walk kilometres and stand in lines for hours to vote and thereby are the biggest contributors to the good image and reputation by a high turnout, guaranteeing and cementing the foundations of Namibian democracy. The Awaambo cannot defend themselves against accusations of preferential treatment, just as the whites and other minorities from time to time cannot creditably sing their own praises. The Prime Minister reminded Namibians of their duty and obligation towards each other. Namibians should defend the Awaambo on their behalf, because it is the duty of citizens to protect fellow citizens against ill and misfortune. Nothing more and nothing less. A worse failing than blaming any community is of course, to claim special guarantees and assurances about the future that nobody knows and is in our own hands. The politics of the Awaambo are of much lesser importance than the difference of the realities of living in the North or any other part of Namibia. From Windhoek to Walvis Bay or Swakopmund through the Khomas Hochland, a distance of close to 400 kilometres can be travelled without seeing any other Namibian, except the dust trail of a car that was hired by self-drive tourists. In the less than ten kilometres from Omafu in the North to Oshikango it is difficult to proceed one metre without encountering 100s of Namibians on their way to an omatala to either buy produce or sell produce from a subsistence operation. Just to encounter a vast forest from Elundu to Omhauni where the only development is cattle herders walking behind their cattle next to a modern highway where they will overnight in makeshift shelters to protect the herd and their pride. In the areas from Omuthiya, between Onyanya, Onathinge, new landmine-free roads are congested by children coming from school at lunch time, walking home, while another group of children is off in the opposite direction to the same school for afternoon classes. It will be strange to travel in this area without seeing groups of people in the shadow of trees, locked in a meeting. Contrary to perception it is not political rally of sorts, but a meetings on HIV/Aids, new planting techniques or an official lecturing communities about a road or building that is underway. The people of the Northern frontier turned their swords into ploughshares and should be admired for it. When Namibians expect government and leadership to change, they must look into the national mirror to find change first in themselves. A nation will transform if the least of its individuals realises that change begins with the individual, who in Namibia and thanks to the commitment of by far the voting majority to democracy and the constitution have the same right as any other interest group, no matter how big and how powerful. The first step to transformation always starts with the interrogation of the conscious. In Namibia the conscious is always do unto others….”
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 12:18:51 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015