It is a good thing that at long last some very high-ranking government officials have realized and have verbally pronounced themselves on joblessness that it is a potential factor that could destabilize this country. The general public who are the electorates and the people directly affected by unemployment, had the problem of unemployment, unjustified dismissals and retrenchments at their lips but, up to now, the exploitation of man by man continues unabated or without being seriously tackled. The exploiters are capitalizing on loopholes in our laws. Is the State toothless when it comes to tackling some issues, or selective? Imagine the speed applied at the enforcement of the Liquor Act. Namibians were supposed to have been the architects of their own fortunes, but it looks like we are either not determining our own fate or we are acting as shock-absorbers for others to survive. In addition, we seem not to have confidence in our own people. Hence, we have developed the culture of hiring others to come and plan and do things for us as well as to import formulas from afar which sometimes are strange to our own situation. Laws and agreements directly affect the daily lives and the survival of the people and should therefore be in the best interest of the people. Failure to do this would backfire. Hence, we see unemployment manifesting itself in the increase in crime. Some of the laws have no human face while some exclude human nature and some must have come about as a result of influence by the ‘powerful’ and the greedy for their own interests, as well as from the people out of touch with the reality of the situation on the ground, and the heartless. According to my own analysis, the situation of unemployment in this country is man-made. How come a country with a population of less than 3 million and so rich in mineral and other resources has so many poor people? Unemployment is a fertile ground for the worst to come. The fat cats, the bourgeoisie and all those who are happily enjoying their bread buttered on both sides, might not happily do so due to crime that might rise if not arrested. Crime is blind, but it has its main targets, mainly: the “Haves” in order to take a share of the cake through illegal means. Hence, the situation of unemployment has to be handled as an urgent matter for the sake of our own survival and the reputation of this country which has already been rated the third-highest in the world for murder. Let us not wait until the situation is totally out of hand. The problems in this country are: Firstly, the question of greed through the unequal distribution of the national cake. Why should a small group of people enjoy a better life at the expense of the majority? For instnce, why should one Namibian earn thousands of dollars a month in salary, while the other one earns peanuts? This issue was raised several times by some church leaders and many other small voices, but it all fell on deaf ears. Secondly, some of the laws are so stiff that they restrict the activities of the people who are trying to stand up and survive. Imagine some of the requirements for obtaining some licences! This creates an impression that the political elites want to place the country, which is only 16 years old, at the level of those countries that are far advanced by hundreds of years. In my language, there is a saying that goes: “one starts small before you advance.” Is a call for the people to uplift themselves a mere lip service? Imagine the recently proposed Bill to be introduced in order to cut down on so-called unregistered builders! This will be the final nail in the coffin of the already suffering masses. Thirdly, the lack of control of some activities in the banking sector, namely: the high charges and the repatriation of millions of our dollars abroad for the development and benefit of those countries. Fourthly, the absence of aggressive marketing of Namibia and its products, and the fear of taking risks in trading with the world over. Fifthly, the control or share of our natural resources by individual foreign families at the expense of the people. Imagine a Namibian being declared as having committed a serious crime if, for example, he has been found in possession of only one of the so-called controlled natural resources, while a foreigner possesses half of that. Sixthly, the lack of the will to sit down and do serious planning using our own people, experience and own formulas. Seventhly, the lack of will to engage the common people in discussions on issues affecting them and to solicit creative ideas from them. The people have the solutions, so they should never be underestimated. What has happened to the excellent idea of “Let us sit around the fire and discuss issues” or “Oxungi” or “Tuxungileni” by the Elcin Minister, Dr Kapolo? On the unnecessary loss of lives through speeding, the numerous education sessions, advertisements and speed traps will not be effective until serious measures are taken. Why not come up with a law governing speed which won’t need law-enforcement agents to monitor the speed? It is very simple. Pass a law to the effect that all motor vehicles in Namibia – or to be imported into Namibia – be mechanically designed or redesigned in such a way that the highest speed to full acceleration will only reach the legal speed limit of 120 km/h. Why bust our heads if the solution is within our reach? NDINOMWAAMI Ondangwa