Windhoek
Mburumba Kerina, one of Namibia’s founding parliamentarians and member of the Constituent Assembly, talks to Chief Political Reporter Mathias Haufiku about a raft of issues currently making headlines related to governance, the youth and the treatment accorded former members of the liberation struggle.
Kerina was among the first petitioners to the United Nations for Namibian independence on behalf of the Herero Chief’s Council. Other early petitioners, besides Kerina and Rev. Michael Scott, were Hosea Kutako, Hans Beukes, Markus Kooper, Ismael Fortune, Adv. Jariretundu Fanuel Kozonguizi, and Namibia’s founding president Sam Nujoma.
Your name cannot be omitted if one talks about Namibia before independence and the United Nations because you were among the first petitioners for Namibia’s independence at the UN. Many people are wondering why Mburumba Kerina never made it into government. Are you equally surprised?
It will be madness. When the three of us (Kerina, Fanuel Kozonguizi and Sam Nujoma) were commissioned to go and petition at the United Nations we did it knowing we were fighting for our country. I always said that if one of us became president, it means all three of us became president and I am proud that we never betrayed the trust given to us.
Did you at any point in your life harbour any ambitions to serve in government?
I served in parliament, I was part of the formulation of our Constitution and I was attributed as the person who coined the term “Namib” which later became Namibia – what more do you expect from a man? I did my part. The only thing I regret is seeing athletes, who come back with medals from taking part in international games, being given houses and money, while some of us were/are not given that recognition. As we speak I have nothing that I can say is a token of appreciation for my contribution during the struggle, not even a house or resettlement farm, hence I am currently living with relatives.
Namibia turned 25 earlier this year. Do you think Namibia is where it is supposed to be in terms of development?
In a changing world like today and having been part of the last group of countries to gain independence it is difficult to say whether in 25 years we have fulfilled all the dreams and expectations of our people, but we have certainly made strides. We must remember that even developed nations struggle with the same problems facing us, therefore it would be rather premature to say the country is where we want it to be. However, we are much better off not blaming anybody for our problems and mistakes, but ourselves. I am one of those who stopped blaming apartheid for our shortcomings because I believe that it is our own doing.
If you were president today, how would you have addressed the poverty issue?
Not much. We are fortunate to have Hage Geingob as our third president. He brings with him a new style of leadership and his entire background is applied practically to address the problems facing us. One of his important attributes is his international style of management. Hage is sensitive not only to the problems of poverty but to all problems in the country, regardless of how diverse the country is, and for that I think we are fortunate to have him leading the country. He is struggling with the problem of poverty, but that is a mind-blowing issue that is also a challenge to developed nations. Countries like the United States of America, India and China are also struggling to address poverty while some African countries have not even made a start to address it because they are involved in civil wars.
Is there anything in President Hage Geingob’s approach to eliminate poverty that makes you uncomfortable?
Not at all. I think he is managing it very well because he has not rushed into it and he opted for the consultative approach. He is very inclusive in his approach because he called on the nation to be involved in the process to address poverty – that in itself is a very commendable approach. For the first time we have regional meetings where people come together to brainstorm in pursuit of a lasting common solution.
Do you think the current government is addressing the plight of Namibians at the required pace?
The government has not done badly if you consider other African states. Our Constitution is very democratic and inclusive and that is one of the reasons why we can still enjoy peace, security and stability after 25 years. Many of the countries that gained independence were at one stage after their independence involved in civil wars because they did not address the problems as we are doing. Perhaps the small size of our population and vastness of our country have helped us, but we must not take things for granted thinking it will always remain the same.
Just recently we had the wealth redistribution conference. What do you make of the way in which resources are distributed in Namibia?
To be honest, I am not happy mainly due to the imbalances that exist when it comes to the distribution of resources. A country with 2 million people and the size of Western Europe with a natural reserve bank of minerals – we should actually not have anyone going to bed hungry. It makes me very angry to know that there are Namibians who are stealing from their own people, some of them are even in government. You have permanent secretaries sitting on boards, one just wonders when they get time to do their work. Our people really got a bad deal in some of these public officials. Some just worked their way into government and corporate setups simply to look after themselves.
How do we tackle the issue of land redistribution?
The problem of land is a problem that is common all over the world, it is a problem that did not only start with apartheid but rather with the beginning of colonialism here in Namibia and sadly it continues to haunt us. It is my hope that our country does not explode because of the land problem and that we will solve it amicably. But it will be difficult because a huge size of our land is not in our own hands. Hage did well to listen to the [Job] Amupanda organization because they are the prophets of tomorrow. Listening to them is therefore important so that he can take notes and devise the best policies to address land redistribution. It is actually the first time this country takes into account the yearnings of the youth when it comes to land.
There are still 15 years to go before the deadline of the much-talked about Vision 2030. Do you think we will reach our targets?
I am one of those people who are skeptical when it comes to setting deadlines. We have seen in many countries that deadlines were set and never realized mainly because of the enormous size of the problems at hand. But it was a good move because it moved our people in the right direction to work hard in order to be self-reliant.
Government claims it is not a high middle-income country as classified by global institutions. What is your take on that?
That problem was caused by the apartheid government that designed this country for the few whites who lived here. They came up with a submission presented to the World Bank which was only based on the resources of whites, hence the misguided calculations.
So what then do we do if some of the people who are expected to drive the redistribution of resources are the ones in possession of the resources?
That I know, but eventually it all boils down to the need for the redistribution of resources so that all Namibians can benefit. We cannot allow a situation where only a few benefit. That is one of the reasons why the youth are screaming that land must be redistributed so that people can own land. After the redistribution of land, we must move to the second phase of income redistribution.
Do you feel those who fought for the country are getting the recognition they deserve?
Not all of us. I know of many that are in rural areas who deserve to be given recognition before all these athletes are recognized and these johnny-come-latelies who jumped into the struggle at the end, but are now shouting louder than those of us that were involved from the start.
What do you make of claims that those spearheading the vetting process of according veterans their status are not well-vested with issues of the struggle, hence they struggle to identify the true veterans?
It could be true but some of them in the veterans ministry are really trying their best, especially those who were in exile and in the refugee camps. But you also see that some of those who were not there seem to have much larger lungs in terms of shouting and I think it is unfair. Most of us sacrificed so much and worked without asking for money. But it seems most of us who did not get the recognition due to us are shy to complain in public. Maybe it is true when they say that we have been conditioned to suffer in silence.
Lately we have seen the slow re-emergence of tribalism in some parts of the country to a certain extent. What do you attribute this to?
That is quite natural and I am not very worried because it has not reached the stage of xenophobia like in South Africa. We are fortunate to have a small population. But I have observed that there are those who at times want to use tribalism as a political tool. Most of our kids never knew apartheid and they have no idea as to what transpired during those years, so it will be difficult for them to look at things through a tribal lens. You can see that today’s youth are more Namibians than they are South West Africans.