THERE was a glimmer of hope when incoming president, Dr Hage Geingob, announced his Cabinet yesterday. The injection of technocrats in key portfolios was one of the key sources of excitement for the general public.
If Geingob’s plans for leading Namibia were a source of much speculation, yesterday’s announcements were the greatest clues yet as to the general tenor, personality and likely trajectory of his incoming government.
It is a difficult balancing act, but you have to credit the President-elect for how he manoeuvred his way out of that difficult situation.
While ability to deliver is the primary consideration, it would be naïve to think that Geingob did not consider other sensitive factors in making up his team of Cabinet lieutenants.
The ruling party, Swapo, has about four generations of leaders. Add to this the elements of liberation struggle bravery, seniority of some leaders, geopolitical considerations and you would realise what a task Geingob had on his hands.
His creation of the Ministry of Land Reform speaks volumes about his intentions to probably address the burning land issue once and for all. At a press conference a week ago, Geingob hinted strongly at the possibility of shelving the largely ineffective willing-buyer, willing-seller policy of State acquisition of land.
He said that his administration might have to follow the expropriation of land option as provided for in the country’s constitution. Absentee landlords might be the primary target of expropriation, the incoming president said.
Geingob yesterday spoke at length about structural issues of government. The alignment between structures and goals, for example, enjoyed some attention yesterday.
Correctly, Geingob spoke about the anomaly of having poverty alleviation as a top government goal, yet there was no focal institution, namely a ministry, to deal with poverty pragmatically.
He said he did not want a fragmented approach to poverty, whereby each ministry is tasked to contribute its own fights against poverty, but wanted a ministry whose sole task is to see to it that the escalation of poverty is arrested decisively.
There was also due consideration to cutting costs in government. Incoming prime minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila has already spoken about service delivery by the public service sector as her priority area, a version collaborated by Geingob’s emphasis on faster growth, improved job creation and improved service delivery. Indeed, we are being ushered into a new era of governance. Founding President Sam Nujoma’s key task was to lay a foundation for the nation and President Hifikepunye Pohamba’s strategy, which he excelled at, was to maintain stability of the foundation laid by his predecessor.
Geingob has acknowledged the role played by his predecessors and has set prosperity as the cornerstone of his administration. And it makes perfect sense.
To achieve prosperity, Geingob promised to provide leadership in seeing to it that the Swapo election manifesto – the basis of which he and the ruling party were elected into power – is implemented to the letter.
What was pleasing in the build-up to Geingob’s inauguration tomorrow is the communicative and informative manner in which he has been conducting his business.
This year alone, he has held three press conferences at which he announced his major decisions. The fact that Geingob has always made it a point to take so many questions from the press and answer them with minimal assistance from his soon-to-be ministers is testimony to his stature as a statesman.
He is the incoming president and is empowered to make decisions without necessarily answering to anyone, but he has always made it a point to explain himself to the nation, and that is soothing.
While wishing the incoming government the best in all its endeavours, we also express our sincere hope that this sense of continued consultation and openness continues unabated.