2017-01-06Staff Report 2 The year 2017 is officially upon us as a nation and with that it has quietly ushered in a new revolutionary sense which if not handled properly could either make matters much more worse or set it back onto its original trajectory as was intended by our founding forefathers pre-independence. The year 2016 was a terrible year which without any warning hugely derailed the nation from its initial approved trajectory programs that getting back on track is going to be a lot harder than it simply meets the eye. The future of Namibia as a young and ambitious nation will henceforth not be the same again due to the political and socio-economic implications of political and economic decisions of 2016. Government will be forced to make socio-economic and political concessions whose results and impact on public opinion remains to be known. The year 2017 should therefore in my humble opinion be the official beginning of the second phase of the Namibian total war for economic dependence, a failure which will have severe and dire socio-economic consequences for a nation that pride itself to have successfully waged a war against colonialism and white domination. This national aspiration is now - more than ever - necessary and not negotiable. All those that think otherwise should seriously stand aside and let those that truly believe in this noble goal take the mantle by the horn to ensure that this vision is eventually achieved because anything to the contrary is really a waste of one of the scarcest resources – time. I would, hence, like to focus on three eagerly-awaited important but highly fundamental events which during the course of the year 2017 will in my opinion determine the future state of the nation. For starter, the nation is set to witness the long awaited and highly neglected second land conference. The land issue remains very sensitive in Namibia and needs to be addressed and resolved with immediate effect for the benefit of the current and future generations. Land is historically the central most important aspect that unfortunately affects all other aspects of life for the majority of Namibians. The cost of urban land in Namibia is extremely and unnecessarily expensive, which makes it inaccessible to a large pool of Namibians, a situation which negatively in-debts them for very long duration of time that they are unable to re-invest their energy and precious time in other productive aspects of their lives. The Namibian land is further blessed with numerous natural and mineral resources but sadly only a few individuals truly benefit from them, defeating the true potential that they could have for the nation at large. The anticipated land conference therefore presents a very unique and important opportunity for the nation to sincerely and deliberately achieve outcomes that will be to the genuine benefit of the masses of the nation. Anything to the contrary will be a total waste of time and money to all concerned. The land conference should ensure that the desired outcomes are achieved for the sake and benefit for the current and future generations of the land of the brave. Another important event to look out for during the year 2017 is the Swapo elective congress which will set the stage for the future political leadership and governance structure of the country and the ruling party. This congress is in my opinion a crucial time to sincerely assess and select patriotic candidates that honestly do have the nationalistic interest of the nation at heart. The time already spent post-independence has proven that the struggle as was waged by honest patriotic Namibians has of late been successfully hijacked and the movement infiltrated by opportunistic individuals that have only their own interests at heart and, as a result, derailed the ruling party from its true nationalistic posture to the now detrimental state of the nation. Last but not least is the minister of finance’s eagerly awaited and anticipated 2017/2018 national budget. This year’s budget will certainly not have good news for the nation at large. Government knows very well the high dependence of the nation’s service providers on its purse and any negative limited spending will drastically and dramatically have an impact on the economy. In the final analysis, the year 2017 will certainly and without doubt determine the way forward for the nation. The abovementioned three fundamental events, albeit not directly linked, are extremely sensitive and should be handled with care as they will have real and direct impact on the current and future welfare of the state of the nation and its citizens. With that said, either we adapt to the new unexpected dynamics as was suddenly set upon us by the experience of the year 2016 or we continue to go down south with our national untapped opportunities and challenges. * Pendapala Hangala is a Namibian patriot. 2017-01-06Staff Report 2
