By Dr Sitali.B. Lwendo
Local authorities in Namibia are there to serve the people in all 14 political regions, regardless of gender, race, ethnic origin and status in societies. In a decentralised environment, the people participate in the management of public resources. During the apartheid regime of the former South African government consisted of segregation based local authorities responsible for a limited number of municipal services. Good governance at local authority level aims to enhance efficient, effective and sustainable leadership that promotes the welfare of societies.
Research by public administration scholars revealed that in some local authorities in Namibia, there is a tendency of maladministration, malpractices favoritism, partisan and nepotism. But remember that corruption threatens people and their governments. It makes societies unfair. Corruption has not only hindered access to essential services by most people but has also increased the cost of public procurement through inflation of tenders and government projects. Corruption has promoted judicial injustice since some people use bribes to win cases.
It is argued that bribery is a negotiated rent, as the beginning of all illegalities and tyranny. There is no more powerful engine of injustice and cruelty, for bribery destroys both faith and state. The serious consequence of corruption thus is not only state capture but also mind capture. Rent seeking behavior occupies the human mind and removes it from useful task.
Some scholars argue that good governance is a vital ingredient in the efficient production and delivery of goods and services, accountability in the use of power, protection of human rights and freedoms, and the maintenance of an organized framework within which every citizen can contribute fully towards finding solutions to common problems facing local authorities in Namibia. Participation by both Namibian men and women in the development and promoting local authorities is a key cornerstone of good governance.
Tribalism is defined as loyalty to a tribe or social group and becomes a negative force on governance when it replaces merit in the decision making process.
Decision makers practice tribalism when seeking to build political and social foundations upon which to safeguard their political and leadership positions.
As such, tribalism distorts decisions, denies deserving persons, groups and projects resources, and produces divergence from plans and policies. Many a time tribalism has resulted in violence between communities after incitement by political and other leaders. Good governance is to maintains law and order, enacts policies and legislation to facilitate administration, enforces policies and legislation, champions the wishes, values and aspirations of all citizens, aggregates and redistributes resources for the benefit and welfare of all citizens in your town councils and municipalities.
Ideological and political realities also impact on the de facto situation. In considering possible ways to address the situation, there is no doubt that all stakeholders need to come together in a process of consultation and negotiation. Ideology, bias and prejudice are not going to solve the problems faced by local authorities in Namibia, the issues needs to be tackled with an open mind and in a spirit of goodwill. Clarity is needed on what exactly these local authorities require, how they can be revived, and what form of adjustment. There must be responsive, accountable, and managed with integrity, probity and transparency is an important tool to public accountability.
The purpose of regional councils is to build capacity of the local authorities to the level that their constitutional powers and functions require. This requires a profound change of heart among all stakeholders, especially in the national government, but without it there is little hope that the local authorities will be able to bounce back from the position of inferiority into which they have been maneuvered. The way forward is that local authorities in Namibia should ensure compliance with the Constitution and the Local Authority Act of 1992 and adjust instead of ignore the Constitution if it deemed desirable. My hope is that the deliberative process regarding the future of the local authorities system in Namibia will be conduct along these lines.
• Dr Sitali B. Lwendo is a lecturer at the University of Namibia in the Faculty of Economics and Management Science. He holds a Doctorate in Public Administration (North West University in the Republic of South Africa).