Editorial

One would have expected businesses to emulate the exemplary example set by President Hage Geingob who personally pledged N$250 000 to the war-chest established towards the national effort to assist the government to contain the fast-spreading coronavirus that has brought the world to a standstill. 

Plagues and epidemics have devastated humanity throughout its existence dating from prehistoric to modern times. But mankind through innovation and sheer resilience has always survived these crises.

Independence Day has always been a momentous occasion in our country’s history and it will remain like that for many years to come. This year it will be an especially auspicious day, as we not only celebrate 30 years of freedom, but will also witness the inauguration of a new administration, including the swearing-in of President Hage Geingob for his second term as head of state. Namibia is definitely a better place than it was over 30 years ago when the institutionalisation of apartheid divided the country and its resources by race.

Rising poverty levels faced daily among the majority of the country’s small population of slightly over two million are in stark contrast to the fabulous natural resources of Namibia, among them gold, diamonds, uranium, copper, marine fisheries, forestry resources and an abundance of labour.

The much-feared coronavirus is on our shores. This virus is rapidly spreading in all other parts of the world, especially in Europe, which has now become the epicentre.

The dose of medicine prescribed to President Hage Geingob by the High-Level Panel on the Namibian Economy (HLPNE) is praiseworthy considering the fact our economy is akin to a sick patient because it has stagnated while jobs are scarce, and poverty levels remain high.

As the nation prepares to celebrate its 30th independence anniversary we should be cognizant of the fact the process of liberation is never ending.

Plans, plans and more plans. As a country, we are good at that.

Mahatma Gandhi, the late great Indian revolutionist and renowned anti-colonial nationalist lawyer, once said “I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles, but today it means getting along with people and taking people from where they are to where they have never been”. 

Marriages of convenience are a continuing issue for Namibia’s immigration system, and despite warnings by the authorities, these acts continue unabated.