Vessy Ndakondja
The Namibia we live in today, is this the Namibia we fought for? I wonder! I don’t even think it is close to what our parents, siblings and all our former fighters shed their blood for.
Some never even made it back home. I am yet to be convinced this is exactly what we went to war for. Have we gotten the justice we sought? Did we get our land back? Do we have access to our natural resources? Did the general lifestyle of our people improve? Are we in control of our God-given resources? Are we free or are we independent? Did we significantly advance anyways? What do the statistics say? Can we make comprehensive comparisons to draw conclusions about our development? Do we have all the facts to differentiate hearsay versus reality? We need to answer these questions to assess ourselves!
Perhaps, I can write a few things to try and answer some of these questions. If I have to summarise the questions above, I will label them inequality and injustice after political freedom.
History teaches us that we were oppressed by some “powerful” forces and countries back then. We are also taught and told that we won ourselves freedom and independence but what were the conditions of this political independence? Or the power-masters dictated to us on what should be and shouldn’t be? That the economy remains in their hands and that there’s nothing north of the red line?
Are we going to believe and accept this insult? Will we be dictated as to what’s important to some and bow to their unjust practices? Will we forever empower those who don’t empower us? Will we still be told ours is weaker and ugly and theirs is nice and better? What’s the role of politicians? There’s really nothing north of the red line? Are we being serious?
The area that carries more than 75% of the country’s population. The area with more than 60% of the livestock count in the country. The area that supplies more than 70% (if not 80%) of the labour-force south of the red line. Are you still going to tell me there’s nothing north of the red line? Europe and America ran to Asia for cheap labour, tell me where’s Asia today? I assume we all know!
With the above questions, I still want to ask more and more… Why do we entertain the red line? What’s an economy without population? If we have more than 75% of voting power north of the red line, why do we keep voting people who keep separating us from themselves? Was it not Swapo’s mission to end division in the land and unite and treat people equal in our motherland? If the former statement is correct, why are they so hesitant in delivering this crucial goal?
Who’s going to help us remove this colonial eyesore called redline? This is colonial division used for false pretence of hiding under foot-and-mouth disease. As if my many questions aren’t enough, I have another last one: Don’t we know what to do if by 2024 the red line isn’t removed? By the way, it will be an election year.