IT is now a well-documented secret that Namibia, the land of the brave, possesses one of the most attractive, if not the best, and progressive and well-documented constitution globally.
Nations are organised, ruled and guided by their respective constitutions, I suppose. In the Namibian context, we should consider ourselves very privileged and are living proof of this near faultless outstanding document.
Policy is used to enforce a working guideline or directive, and used by some to explain why they are disregarding their constitutions. In the global village of sport, rules and regulations are used to control the actions of athletes and common sense is usually used by parents and teachers alike.
Kudos to Ronald Red Baron Slamet Jnr on his European Superbike debut because we are all proud of this monumental achievement. Remember just over a week ago yours truly humbly asked for hard work and dedication from our sportspersons, the result is clear in Ronald’s case.
But back to my main topic, the Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) POLICY that it does not interfere in the selection of teams, or does not intervene unless POLICY is not adhered to is totally out of sync, to say the least.
Confusion is the correct definition or am I passing the buck? Yes, this raw incident is now water under the bridge so let us put it to bed. However, the biggest concern is yet to come when selecting players and appointing members for the Rugby World Cup to represent our country.
Now comes the interesting part, I bet you my last penny that when piecing that touring entourage together en route to that wet, miserable island, the pawpaw is going to hit the stratosphere. Make a quick retreat to page 35 when that time comes around.
Transparency is a key element in any public organisation and I plead with rugby authorities, please inform the nation about the identity of the selection committee tasked to have this very thorny duty to select the players. Also enlighten the nation on the whereabouts of the incumbent head coach. Please inform the nation of the policies that will take place to realise all the abovementioned.
Maybe the tender invited by the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service will shed some light when the findings are published.
Hopefully the auditing firm ultimately selected to finalise the task will request constitutions from the relevant umbrella bodies, associations, unions and federations.
Is it then not a POLICY or CONSTITUTIONAL requirement for the affiliates/subjects of these bodies to submit their constitutions? This is a basic requirement to avail your constitution to any interested party.
It is common knowledge that certain rugby clubs do not have constitutions or statutes in place to guide their togetherness. Is this perhaps not a crying shame not to emulate our national Constitution?
Earlier in the week, it was reported in an English weekly and reference was made of the sexual orientation of a certain group of players. This is totally unconstitutional and unpalatable to say the least.
What matters is what happens on the playing field and the athletes’ physical performance nothing more and nothing less. By the way, do not invent the wheel again in women’s rugby, the deed and damage is already done.
The verdict: persons, committees, board members, coaches, spectators and ultimately the athlete or sportsperson, please stick to the applicable constitution(s), policies and apply Common Sense! Until next time, I’m signing off. Adios!