By Joseph Diescho
BEFORE we venture into what can and must be done to alleviate this painful situation, let us place ourselves squarely in the context of our human civilization. We are neither the first human beings to inhabit the earth, nor are we the only ones facing the troubles in our land. It is important to come to terms with the fact that human civilization has always contained in itself the seeds of its own agony and destruction. From time immemorial, people or communities had to discern and determine what to do with those elements in their own collective make-up that were a danger and menace to the collective good of society.
In the old biblical times, God the Creator Himself took care of those who went out of line of the codes of conduct as prescribed. Many such deviants were killed, or put to death, by God’s sword – so the Holy Bible says. Subsequently, in difficult ways depending from the historical-cultural context, decent members of the community when outraged by the unacceptable and counter-productive behaviour of some of its members found ways to remove them permanently from their midst and in so doing expunge or eliminate the problem for good.
The reasoning of these times would contradict the juridical philosophy of today for three basic reasons: First, that removing these hard-core criminals who we all agree are a danger to society would violate our fundamental and thus constitutional commitment to human rights, including the right to life of the offender. Secondly, that no one, a human being or an institution of state, has the right to end the life of another human being. Third, that removing the offender[s] does not serve as a sufficient deterrent to other future offenders.
Namibia is at a crossroads now to do something about the violence against women and children and other ills threatening our peace, security, stability, unity, justice, liberty and harmony which are the pillars of our beloved Republic before it is too late.
Following are some suggestions, which are by no means exhaustive:
• Religious or Faith-based communities and leaderships ought to seize the moment and run with the campaign for moral regeneration. This crusade, as it were, cannot be left to the whims of the state. It is the religious leaders who can assist to restore the family to its real place of raising boys and girls who are to become meaningful participants in the lives of their communities. It is in the family where love and caring are learned, not at political rallies! Politicians, when left alone, are interested in creating sycophants who are loyal to them and not to the nation. We cannot have a youth whose members are all aspiring to be State President. There are other equally important roles in the life of the nation: teachers, farmers, nurses, professors, carpenters, writers, musicians, engineers, land surveyors, garbage engineers, and most of these seemingly lowly professions are where real jobs are created that build and sustain national economies!
• Rebuild and renovate the education sector. The nation will do well to re-establish teacher training facilities where a teaching corps is built and empowered to act as catalyst of a new world with renewed vigor. This will assist the nation to develop a work ethic unlike the one that is in our schools and on our campuses today where there is hardly a distinction between a learner and teacher or student and lecturer Learning and teaching should be about the development of the nation, not just a terrain of expecting favours and salaries at the end of the month. There ought to be a code that places of learning are not stomping grounds for political parties that go there to preach hostilities and dish out hate speeches.
• Introduce and design a school curriculum that unpacks our cultural and customary history, to delineate factors that account for criminal conduct which cannot be entertained in our One Namibia, One Nation under a Constitution.
• Introduce a citizen- and development oriented compulsory National Youth Service with specific programmes to learn about the character of the Namibian nation and its needs, so that young people grow up appreciating the fundamental values in our National Philosophy (Peace, Security, Stability, Unity, Justice, Unity, and the Harmony) of the Namibian Nation. Upon completion of high school, all boys and girls must be deployed in different parts of the country to assist with different development projects: as nursing assistants, farm workers, mine workers, parliamentary assistants, government building sites assistants, prison assistants, police work assistants and the like so that they not only acquire life skill knowledge and experience but develop interests in these professions for their future careers. This should be an essential part of molding a future family person and leader in the nation’s life and not a menace to society.
• In support of the programme that the cabinet adopted, there ought to be greater emphasis on Zero Tolerance of these heinous crimes, accompanied by a naming and shaming programme whereby names and photos of hard core offenders are published in newspapers every weekend (including those in prison) so that they can feel that they had disqualified themselves from being decent members of society. In the same vein reward and protection ought to be given to women and children who report incidents of criminality before lives are lost
• Embark on serious national development agendas and strategies that would allow the national economy to decentralize to the extent that not everything is concentrated within a one-mile radius of the Hilton Hotel in Windhoek, but that would take development into other regions and parts of the country. For instance, the High Court and Supreme Court of the country be in Okahandja, what remains of the Polytechnic to move to Otjiwarongo, establish a full-fledged University of Agriculture in Katima Mulilo, establish sports academies in all the Thirteen plus One regions of the country to build a sporting culture; a National Teachers College in Rundu; a College for Animal Husbandry in Gobabis; a Military Academy in Keetmanshoop; leave the Medical School in Oshakati in partnership with the University of Cape Town and Freiburg University in Germany; a School for Hospitality in Swakopmund, a School for Nursing in Grootfontein and a College for Building Construction and Rehabilitation in Rehoboth. We might even begin to think about moving the political capital to Otjiwarongo and leave Windhoek as the business and commercial capital.
• Considering that we wish to become a knowledge-based economy, allow Nipam to conduct induction programmes for all members of Parliament, cabinet and permanent secretaries at the beginning of each year so that they are of the same understanding and mind in so far as their services to the nation are concerned. In this way we shall develop a culture of information management that will place us where we learn about what we did well in the past and what we should not take with us into the future. That would also allow us to establish a rectitude base to which we shall return when we flounder and go astray in the future.
Some of these ideas may not sound to be addressing gender-based violence per se, but in order to create an economy (of a Progressive Developmental State) that accounts for better life in the medium and long terms, we ought to aim higher and cast our eyes far wider over the horizon. In that way dignity, pride and honour are given to the people as agencies of change and development.