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Opinion: Discipline the key weapon against Covid-19

2021-06-29  Staff Reporter

Opinion: Discipline the key weapon against Covid-19

Every Namibian needs to start understanding that they are soldiers in the fight against Covid-19, albeit with the general average levels of our training, public readiness, and technical and administrative capacities and sophistication. 

For those who are not familiar with the concept of military code of conduct, it is basically an idea, which prioritises discipline above everything else within the armed forces. 

You can have the most powerful army with the most powerful weapons, but if your soldiers are lacking in the most critical area of discipline, you will never prevail, even against weaker opponents. 

But what exactly do we mean by discipline? It is the ability, commitment and willingness to follow basic commands and instructions. 

In the context of Covid-19, such commands and instructions include things like washing our hands, sanitising, wearing our masks, social distancing and getting ourselves vaccinated. 

They may appear easy and simple enough but the problem is that we have been lacking the required level of discipline to implement and maintain them. 

Therefore, as soldiers in the fight against Covid-19, we have to realise that our lives depend on others fulfilling their responsibilities and that the lives of others equally depend on us meeting our obligations. 

We have to continue rising to the challenge as Namibians and bravely confront the cunning and invisible enemy as a united front. 

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, we have all witnessed the violation of the rules by virtually every corner of our society. In those early stages, we can perhaps say that we were still trying to adapt to the new way of living and that the initial effects were not seriously manifesting out of control. 

Right now, however, the painful effects of Covid-19 can no longer be denied and they are starkly obvious for all to see. While we can point the blame fingers at the government for failing to do this and that, we as individuals must also accept that we are not entirely innocent ourselves. 

Wearing your mask only as a formality to gain entry to a shop or putting on an act of good behaviour in the presence of law enforcement are prime examples of cheating the rules and a lack of self-discipline. 

We need to be able to do the right thing even when no one is watching us. JFK once told his people that “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” 

This saying resonates more than ever especially now during this Covid-19 crisis. As Namibians, we must, therefore, selflessly subscribe to the highest levels of discipline for the sake of our motherland, as by doing that we will certainly defeat Covid-19 and emerge stronger and victorious. 

Our destiny as a collective is really in our own hands and we must take charge of it and hope for the best possible outcomes. It might be a cold winter right now and things may seem bleak, but spring and the promise of a new beginning are surely coming up on the horizon of time.

 

* Abednego Katuushii Ekandjo writes in his private capacity.


2021-06-29  Staff Reporter

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