ONE day I visited my grandfather Cde Hausiku Samuel the headman of Sauyemwa. He is a veteran who suffered so much during the colonial era but he is not yet registered.
He narrated to me the person who interviewed him at the veterans office asked him silly questions and because his imprisonment and suffering is known to all SWAPO Party leaders in the two Kavango regions, he justed walked out in protest.
While we were chatting I saw two hens fighting over corn and while the two hens were fighting, the third hen popped up and took away the corn.
The fight reminded me of what is happening in our country. While we are fighting each other, our enemies are looting our resources.
By the time we will realise it, it will be too late.
SPYL is not the enemy, our enemies are hunger, poverty, income inequality, landlessness and lack of other basic necessities like clean water, electricity, affordable housing, which are indispensable ingredients in the development of the country.
Ironically, “in a land of many waters,” with a very favourable land/population ratio, we suffer from land hunger and sometimes drought and floods occur in the same year.
Trespassing and squatting have become a new plague and are giving rise to myriad social problems. We have also seen the emergence of white supremacy in government parastatals, purging of qualified black Namibians. Investors are competing with locals in selling kapana and recharge vouchers and foreigners are pushing wheelbarrows at construction sites.
It is an easy situation to address but what are we waiting for? Instead of the party directing government, the reality is to the contrary. Youth with brilliant business ideas can’t have access to loans due to a lack of collateral. In the present situation of increasing frustration, disorder and hopelessness, the leadership of SWAPO Party need to step up and provide leadership.
Democracy is the lifeblood of human development. Our democracy needs to be representative, consultative and participatory and embrace the political, economic, industrial, social and cultural spheres. Revenge politic is an obstacle to development.
Our municipalities did not amend some colonial laws and continues to auction land at exorbitant prices to frustrate the electorate. The complexity of our economy dictates that we undertake to formulate a multi- faceted strategy to overcome our problems.
To achieve our ultimate goals of people- centred development, we need to do away with capitalism and confine ourselves to the ideology of our party. The land issue is not negotiatable, every Namibian needs to have access to land. All Namibians must have access to sufficient amount of food and other basic necessities.
In conclusion the spectre of unemployment, poverty, low wages, and social disorder is haunting us. And at the political level, there is the dangerous and growing ascendary of the far right, ultra-nationalists, fundamentalist neo-fascists reminiscent to appease investors. Regrettably no lasting solutions are coming, except infighting and revenge.
It is pointless to create political Hollywood stars while the majority of Namibians are poor.
To state that they should not be political cows to be milked for votes and discard them later is not an insult to any leader but a frank reminder to the reality on the ground. It is a pity that some SPYL leaders are buzzing like hungry mosquitoes in the corridor of power seeking relevance like “vindjurumema” fish on the surface of the Kavango River.
The paradox of good economic growth on the one hand and the increasing deterioration of the quality of life on the other – growing poverty and increasing inequality are worrisome.
I applaud Cde Hage Geingob for promising to create a stand-alone Ministry of Poverty Eradication next year should he win the presidential elections next week. I urge all young workers to go out in big numbers and vote for SWAPO Party and our presidential candidate Cde Hage Geingob.
By Cde Mbangu Paulus
• Cde Mbangu Paulus is the SPYL secretary for labour.