Dear Mr President of the Republic of Namibia Dear Mr Prime Minster Is the use of the Internet to educate and inform the Namibian population and the rest of the world really understood by our government? Let me extend to you my best wishes for 2007 – to all of you – and let the year 2007 be a happy and prestigious one. Wanting to start the new year with some research and fact-finding on the Namibian Government, I entered the official website of the government, and was shocked to the bone: On entering the official website or homepage of Namibia (www.grnnet.gov.na) what do I find? The welcoming address is still signed by the President of the Republic of Namibia, Dr. Sam Nujoma (www.grnnet.gov.na) Office of the President – A decade of peace and prosperity – Foreword – a decade of peace and prosperity signed by Dr Hage Geingob etc.). IS THIS THE LATEST AND UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION THAT YOU ARE FEEDING THE NAMIBIAN NATION? Using the most modern and advanced medium to deliver to the world such useless information. Where else than on the Internet can a Namibian citizen, especially the learners in the rural areas obtain information on the government and the country? Are You Really Promoting the Image of Namibia? Please convince yourselves, use an hour on that ugly computer and see for yourselves, if you and your staff have really understood your missions. If you do not have the time, permit me to highlight just a few points: The list of ministries displayed on the first page is not updated. The ministries of Safety and Security, Youth and National Service do not exist. The Namibian Police is standing alone and no Artists Union is listed? If you go through the various ministries in detail, you are even more shocked: Ministry of Justice: There is NO info regarding new or old laws on the web at all. (It seems that web was updated last in 1999!) Even the present Ombudsman is still Mme. Gawanas! Namibian Parliament: No info in the web. According to the web, the list of Acts passed is rather haphazard over the 15 years, and more than half of the list claims to have no data??? What does this mean? The still valid Labour Law of 1992 is not listed at all. If you click to see the National Heritage Bill, the National Disability Bill opens, in title, but no text. Ministry of Labour has published its Labour Law, which HAS NOT BEEN PROMULGTED AS YET, as from December 2004! Ministry of Home Affairs: Spelling mistakes like HAME AFFAIRS and FORENSIC SIECE SERVICES on its first page. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting: No links, no ministry, nothing. Exemplary are Ministry of Mines and Energy and Ministry of Fisheries: All laws, etc readily available. Ministry of Health and Social Services: it exists only as a medical Control Board. Ministry of Finance: Basically without a minister or anything else. No links. Ministry of Works Transport and Communication: ???? No Information at all. Namibian Police: The list on display, showing the regional police stations has got only post-boxes. No telephones or mails, are we really so far behind? Do we have to report crime via handwritten notes? These are only a few examples of the official Namibian website hosted on the Internet. Is this really the best Information you can offer a Namibian citizen or a foreigner? Dear Sirs and Ladies, are you really serious with your claim to be leading a modern democracy that informs, promotes, educates its people and conveys a positive image to the rest of the world? I do not think so. Rainer Iben