To date, hundreds of thousands of Namibian citizens are standing at the far end of the tunnel, focussing anxiously on the awaited Vision 2030 to emerge.

As years pass by, every small amount of light detected prompts an adjustment of the lens the society is using to view through the tunnel. 

It is so because prospects and anticipation appear to have been altered, as one looks intelligibly through the tunnel utilising a magnified lens. Therefore, society should carefully choose the lens that gives a clear vantage point to map out the future in case Vision 2030 does not appear from the seemingly ‘crowded tunnel-end’.

A crowded tunnel-end in this context signifies a suffocated Vision 2030 and National Development Plans (NDPs). No realistic directions and driving tools to encourage compelling anticipations. Perhaps society should embrace a scholarly approach in using the magnified lens to avoid discontentment if the outcomes fail to provide the anticipated results. In scientific studies, Burnett (2021) argues that “scholars choose one lens over another one not for what it helps them to see, for what it helps them overlook.”

Similarly, Thomas Martin (2019) uses the notion of “the lens” as a metaphor to characterise an understanding of reality from theory to inform contemporary thinking and view of the role of theory and its relationship to the arts. 

This article maintains that navigating through the tunnel as a conveyance belt of Vision 2030 to the people in dire need at the far end of the tunnel might not only become a conundrum but also, as Nelson Mandela advises, turn out to be “a long walk to freedom.”

Generally, the tunnel in this context characterised Namibia’s politics and governance, and its leadership that was tasked in 2004 to ensure that resources are secured, real-world national development plans are set, and targets are met to realise Vision 2030. Society can’t enter the tunnel and observe what is happening, thus, play a wait-and-see game now. 34 years on, the people are still waiting without any prospects on the horizon. The lens produces a fading vision.

The next five years (2025-2030), as the last hurdles toward promised prosperity, may find the goalpost either shifted or completely removed. 

On 21 March 1990, I braved the cold and windy morning, walking down the then Kaiser Street, heading to what later became known as Independence Stadium, to celebrate together with other Namibians the freedom and independence of this country. 

Though at that time I had no refined knowledge and understanding of freedom, the hopes, dreams expectations, like those of many Namibians, were very high.

I then envisioned a new Namibia of hope and dreams realisation, inclusiveness, equality, youth empowerment and prosperity. 

Specifically, the defined moment of the lowering of the then Louis Pienaar administration flag, and the nervous and emotional hosting of the new Namibian flag, I couldn’t imagine a future Namibia of abundant opportunities, social justice and socio-economic enhancement for all people.

The dreams and hope of a better future appeared too promising to resist. Certainly, no futuristic-minded person could have imagined that the road to equality, social justice and prosperity would be potholed and, sadly, a ‘catch-22’ conundrum. 

In short, no one expected the current state of affairs to prevail. Putting into context the catch-22 notion, American writer Joseph Heller coined the phrase catch-22 in his novel in 1961 to illustrate a paradoxical situation from which an individual cannot escape because of contradictory rules or limitations. In simple English, catch-22 may refer to a problematic situation for which the only solution is denied by the circumstance inherent in the problem.

The scenario illustrated above may find expression in the current political and governance system,  the nation takes stock before deciding its future on 27 November 2024. The question is whether Namibian politics and governance have produced material outcomes over the past 34 years. Do the current governance policies and programmes produce tangible results? 

Did previous political party manifestos live up to expectations? Has the socio-economic situation created a feasible environment? 

Do existing urban and rural livelihoods match the dreams and expectations of an independent Namibia? 

These questions and others should inform people’s thinking to refine their consciousness before casting that deciding vote.

It would be remiss to ignore the fact that Namibia is forever independent. 

Namibians will always treasure such milestone realisations, despite untold unintended consequences. 

Similarly, it would be administrative suicidal to suggest that Namibia doesn’t have in place some well-designed and comparable policy frameworks and governance directions.

 Theoretically, Namibia could be counted among the only few nations in Africa that have well-crafted policy directives. Mauritius, Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda and a few others may come to mind in this regard.

However, good policy frameworks do not necessarily imply beneficial and inclusive service delivery to all. Moreover, comparable governance directions do not mean good governance. 

Therefore, the above-stated instruments may not mechanically translate into social justice and prosperity for all, unless they are aligned with genuine participative politics, good governance and leadership. 

Demandingly, it is the obligation of the three organs of state and their agencies to live up to promises made before and after independence in 1990.

For that reason, political party campaigns and elections should remind those in power to take stock of what they think political and governance practices have achieved as opposed to realities on the ground. 

Election practices should not only signify the historic journey to freedom and independence, also reassess the extent to which hope, dreams, promises and political declarations have been realised. 

The elections must serve as a platform to reconsider critical questions about the plights of the people.

The condition in which society navigates has no space for political positions, jubilations, parliamentary allotment, seats, wheedle manifestos, and speeches and promises that cannot see the light of day. 

Ordinary people wish to see socio-economic issues and livelihoods being resolved. They want to see the unemployment rate reduced through realistic means. Election outcomes should be translated into dreams and hope realisations by providing housing, quality healthcare, better education, electricity, water, sanitation, etc. 

As a part of society, leadership must have pure hearts to see that the majority of people who face harsh conditions to cast their votes may not have access to the aforementioned social and economic amenities.

 This is the harsh reality that some ignorant politicians might find hard to digest, but is a real-life predicament. 

After elections, when politicians and other notables settled and retreated to perhaps dine and wine, the said harsh and unfulfilled realities should remind them of the unrealistic manifesto promises and unfinished constitutional duties.

As alluded to, Namibian politics has moved steps forward, and governance directions have set the tone for future institutional orientations. 

The challenge is unethical leadership that has failed to translate politics and governance into appreciable outcomes, particularly for ordinary citizens. It calls for focused dispensation and energy. Despite regional comparability, Namibia’s politics and governance seem not to have produced the benefits amenable to all in the past 34 years, taking into account the level of expectations at independence. 

The drawbacks appear to outweigh the benefits, specifically in townships and rural areas. 

This article is cognisant that the power, that is, may disagree with the above statements. However, the truth remains and must be told. Frankly speaking, politicians and technocrats, respectively, have accepted the noble duty of crafting and implementing policies and programmes to pull people out of poverty; hence, they might not want to be seen failing in this challenging task. 

Nevertheless, as one anonymous author once penned, “A cabinet minister needs to stay in a poor man’s refuge for a month without the luxury s/he enjoys daily to see and feel the poor man’s pain in an independent country.”

“The experiment serves as a learning point beyond political rhetoric, aiming to devise targeted instruments focusing on people’s needs. 

In addition, political party infighting and power struggles hinder governance efforts, resulting in a skewed system unable to address people’s well-being. The rushed transformation left little time to close all loopholes.”

As a result, the marginalised and disadvantaged continue to bear the burden of past injustices in socio-economic areas. What society experiences today is the consequence of our own actions, such as poor leadership, party politics and bad governance.

 Although there might be little hope, achieving Vision 2030 is still a long journey that requires a refined and dynamic political leadership. 

However, all hope is not lost. Namibian politics and governance still have time to improve and build an inclusive social justice system. It is up to the electorate to guide the way forward in the upcoming 27 November 2024 election.

We should remember that the fundamental purpose of politics and governance is to mobilise support and resources that shape the direction of the government. At present, this noble purpose appears misdirected. Perhaps the solution is to align domestic politics and governance with global democratic principles, norms values.

As Namibians head to the 27 November 2024 general elections, political leadership should be reminded that there are still people who can’t make ends meet. Current politics seem not to address social injustice, but rather provide opportunities for individuals to benefit from the system. 

Political leadership still does not acknowledge that the original purpose of politics is to enable society to collectively achieve important human goals they cannot achieve individually. 

Renowned philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato place significant emphasis on ‘people first’, and view politicians and civil service as real servants of the people, a notion revisited by Burkey (1993). 

Nelson Mandela couldn’t have put it more clearly when he said, “People must be the primary beneficiaries of politics and governance.” Despite these views, contemporary politics prioritises self-interest over the people. Carl Jung asserted that “you can’t change anything unless you accept it.” 

In the final analysis, the 27 November 2024 election must remind us of the need to navigate through the tunnel. Perhaps the country needs a revived Vision 2030 that is aligned with governance policies, processes and politics to see the light at the end of the tunnel. A diagnostic outlook to 2025 and beyond!”

*Tuhafeni Helao (PhD) is a retired academic. Areas of interest are politics, governance, comparable governance, policing and public service delivery.