Engel Nawatiseb
It is perhaps the appropriate timeline for our President to focus his attention on the legacy he will leave behind beyond 21 March 2025 when he leaves office.
His legacy credentials are undoubtedly doubling up, as momentum is mounting to secure his spot on the index of successes scored during his 10-year tenure.
Give him another break, and he will strike the ice on a new project as he prepares the future for the generation to succeed him.
So far, he has done exceptionally spot-on, proving wrong most doubting Thomases of this world, who tried to paint a period of political uncertainty, aimed at neutralising his achievements.
But President Geingob is saved by his character, which spells volumes about his special trait of “determination” – and by nature a go-getter, he does not easily succumb to political pressure, and that is exactly what the name of the game is all about – to march forward despite all odds.
Struggle veterans who know him better than the newcomers describe him as the custodian of human settlement, a man who accommodated all of us under his roof but independence have separated us along relationship lines.
But we respect him; he is just a human being like all of us; he is our leader: he commands, and we follow his trends.
The Green Hydrogen global initiative is the contemporary version of Geingob’s legacy project parallel to the Welwitschia Fund, which paves prospects for positive spin-offs and the fortunes for the new generation.
Just like the State House was built during Dr Sam Nujoma’s tenure to host his successors, the green hydrogen project will signal the heroic stewardship of Geingob – long after he has gone.
Confronted by the challenges of an economy, whose downturn made it almost impossible to eradicate poverty, Geingob nonetheless wielded his inimitable spirit to improve the lives of thousands of pensioners and orphans and women as a scholar, leader and ultimately activist – and one of Africa’s greatest humanitarians to lift them out of doubt and despair.
Although he pledged to be a generation to eradicate and end extreme poverty, he nevertheless lessens the brunt of poverty from the shoulders of the elderly.
The paradox, however, is that the senior citizens redeploy those earnings and income towards municipal consumables, rates and taxes without enjoying the fruits of the benefit of the social grant.
It needs to be seen which different formula Geingob’s successor intends to apply to do it differently from the current determination.
Even his successors can certainly not undo that legacy – not under the forecast of a deteriorating global economy going forward.
Lifting the poor from abject poverty in his small way has touched many senior citizens and the needy; although they are yet to benefit, Geingob became the Messiah of their immense suffering in their testimonies.
Geingob’s determination to increase grants to pensioners and orphans against all odds gives so many lessons on how to meet the lives of our poor people purposefully and generously, and true to humankind.
He will long be remembered for his statesmanship.
Also notably so, Geingob ushered much youth into the political sphere to ensure the youth earn the same amount of dignity as their senior mentors; he set the path toward equality from the very beginning of his career as President.
More needed to be done to propel the education sector into a success story of note.
The country possesses a great potential to become an academic hub to foster education in excellence from all cornerstones.
What needs to be seen, however, is whether Geingob can pull off the dream of influencing the private sector to build universities and/or university campuses in each region to serve his legacy because not much has been achieved in respect of expanding that specific sector.
Yes, it is a fact that Geingob fought for children and orphans by increasing their social grants, but those offerings should be used to take care of the vulnerable orphans – and not for personal gain benefiting guardians, custodians and caregivers alone.
How do we ensure that, or which instruments do we use to double-ensure that self-greed does not take centre stage in the lives of the vulnerable needy children?
Recently, the government, through its supportive private sector stakeholder engagement, dished out vouchers for the needy to collect food hampers.
More so, committee members benefited more than the targeted community members, so where do we draw the line?
Such selfish actions can undermine the legacy gains made by President Geingob’s government and administration; therefore, a careful note should be exercised to guard against such scrupulous deeds.
Government should be careful when it comes to the administration of certain issues that can neutralise the positive gains the executive has made so that it does not reduce the proud legacy of our president to zero due to individual failures.
For example, the provocation by elements drawing continental attention to petty issues should be ignored.
There is no use in law enforcement agents arbitrarily playing into the hands of provocateurs who are out there to unlock action.
Action orientated zero-sum-games can only elevate attention to the highest office.
Diplomacy and not militancy should neutralise any such situations because peace is always perceived to be boring – and those elements will preferably unlock momentous rivalry.
The salary cut taken by the President to assist vulnerable community members since he took office does not go unnoticed.
Let us wait and see whether the gesture will end with Geingob’s departure beyond his tenure?
Geingob’s respect for the independence of various organs of the state, and government being the executive, legislative and judicial branches through the workable systems, processes and institutions have earned him legacy credentials of the highest order.
This has culminated in the respect for the rule of law so that no organ of the state can intimidate the provisions of the Namibian Constitution, particularly where it pronounces itself on the innocence of persons until proven guilty.
His insistence to serve justice through those instruments has earned Geingob the status as an international icon of peace and justice as well as fairness through the administration of justice.
Geingob selected the best amongst the best custodians of the judiciary; it makes our system unique.
Men and women of substance perform the administration of justice in our country, you bet me.
What is highly disappointing to note and indeed an irreversible setback is the poor performance of most of his lieutenants, particularly their failure to reciprocate Geingob’s style of town hall meetings, a credible platform to form relationships directly with communities.
The President set the stage to meet the communities face to face, but are the ministers not supposed to return the gesture and cement the relationship between government and sub-national structures to promote the trust relationship.
One wonders whether another round of the “imbizos” will return before Geingob calls it to quit in two years.
Another hallmark of the Geingob Presidency is the decoration and theming of annual working schedules, such as the ‘Year of introspection’ or reimaging to inspire hard work.
When we reflect down memory lane, the hard pill to swallow amongst political office bearers certainly dealt with the change in the tradition to purchase a new fleet for high-ranking officials during his current term of office.
Seemingly, such luxury has to fade out due to economic pressure challenging the “boss” administration, who became a victim of circumstances.