Petrus Ndeumono Mbidi
Loyalty fades with time. If you have faithful followers but you do not reward them, they will become weary of you and justifiably leave.
Namibian leaders are the ones destroying our nation. It is becoming increasingly difficult for them to distinguish between good and bad, constructive and destructive, and future success and failure.
Great brains, capable of influencing local, regional and national growth, have been developed in our nation, yet they often focus more on desiring to hate and starting personal conflicts for the sake of positions and power.
The conflict is not with our leaders themselves; rather, it is with the system that was designed to keep them at odds and tormenting one another while the Americans, Chinese and Europeans continue to steal all we have as a nation for nothing.
Yesterday was the right moment to get up.
Unity implies putting aside distinct differences for a shared goal. Even so, a political party like the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) sees it as power over the groups with which it has coalition agreements.
IPC’s current state of aimlessness and lack of direction is entirely their own fault. Party president Dr Panduleni Itula ignored what was right to appease the party’s backers.
It is well known that black people have suffered a great deal. If there are still white racists who will not sit at the same table as a black woman, we will not be able to move past those traumatising emotions.
It is past time for our National Assembly, as well as those of other African nations on the continent, to draft stricter legislation intended to address racist crimes. The realisation of the social African concepts of Ubuntu, Ujamaa and Harambee is useless if black people are still regarded as less valuable than white people.
Besides the effect of white hatred and racist activities, it is first and foremost us, the black people, who are the enemy(ies) of our own African brothers and sisters. There is only hope within Africans; there is no outside help for Africa. It is not ideal to concentrate on how someone else is to blame for your issues and potential solutions.
Fundamentally and ultimately, every one of us, as a nation and as individuals, is answerable for our own fate.
Africa needs strong democratic administrations with a zero-tolerance policy toward corruption, a development aim that benefits everyone – not just some, and a distinct continental identity that expresses each African country’s purpose and clarifies how African countries should be viewed by the international community to thrive.
Change must be constant for progress, and the current Zambian administration is demonstrating that it is possible.
If there is any hope of achieving the stated goals and aspirations of the nation, significant adjustments and changes are necessary. However, if the environment is unfair, the necessary modifications and alterations will not contribute to achieving national objectives and aspirations.
Even while mistakes will be made, dictatorial leadership, unfair democratic practices and the politics of the belly in which elected officials put their own interests ahead of those of the country are unacceptable because they impede economic growth.
It is funny how a country like Namibia, after 32 years of independence, only managed to replace the white personnel government with a black personnel one, and then expect things to function normally without modifying the colonial system.
We have the misfortune of being born into a fractured society that is divided along racial, religious and class lines. Ironically, it does not matter whether you were raised in a first, second or third-class society in the end.
Many African countries are drowning in poverty, despite having access to a variety of resources, and this is precisely because the idea of being superior or inferior is hurting humanity’s ability to raise itself.
There is no path out of poverty for African third world countries as long as first world nations continue to provide help to third world countries at a hidden cost.
No nation exists in isolation; we are all connected to one another in some way, and only we completely grasp this – our society will be able to be fixed.
If you are powerful, you must empower others. However, a person who breaks the law cannot instruct you in how to behave lawfully.
This narcissistic behaviour is the reason why progress in African nations will remain stagnant. Most African politicians would rather board a bus to bury the British Queen than board one in order to gain economic independence.
It is complete folly to expect Africa to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and its allies in denouncing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Let Russia and Ukraine resolve their difficulties on their own; we (Africans) did not ask them to assist in resolving issues in the Kingdom of Eswatini, Ethiopia, South Sudan, or other regions of the continent. After all, Muammar Muhammad Gaddafi’s death as a result of NATO’s invasion of Libya has left the country with a number of difficulties.
The European Union and the United States of America are to be blamed for Zimbabwe’s continued disarray and severe economic sanctions.
It is common knowledge that certain African leaders lack the love of their people, which is why they are unable to fight for their nations and/or communities. When you do not love your people, you cannot fight for them, but if you do, you will not be able to bear the thought of them going through hardship.
As Namibians, we are stronger, whereas as Nama people, Aawambo, Himbas, Hereros, or Kavangos, we are weaker. As Africans, we are stronger and as Cameroonians, Nigerians, and Batswana, we are weaker.
The many liberation struggles that have taken place across the African continent can speak to the fact that unity fosters progress and the achievement of goals.
We can only overcome economic obstacles, accomplish economic progress, and attain economic independence by working together.
Will we be given more opportunity to act or will we just keep writing? Actually, it is up to our leaders to decide whether or not to put a highly educated dominated government into practice.
When will the African masses no longer be regarded as the adversaries of the system’s beneficiaries? We will never be united in the struggle against the repressive system, the main reason for this will continue to be the lack of political maturity across political organisations on the African continent and the fact that in most African countries colonial laws are still applicable.
*Petrus Ndeumono Mbidi has a diploma in Local Government Studies, an honours degree in Public Management, and he is a MPA candidate at the University of Namibia. He can be reached at mbidipetrus06@gmail.com