Kae MaÞunÿu-Tjiparuro
THE general pre-budget expectation from all and sundry, lay and informed, was that we are going to see in the 2015/2016 fiscal year a runaway budget rather than an incremental one necessitated by especially the creation of some new ministries, appointment of several deputy ministers as well dual permanent secretaries in some ministries.
This is apart from the huge demand on state coffers brought along by the new President’s commitment to the alleviation, reduction and ultimately the eradication of poverty. At the end of the day, for better or worse, better in terms of maintaining fiscal discipline, and worse, for fear of not fulfilling the commitment to the noble goal of alleviating, reducing and eventually eliminating poverty, the budget cannot in any sense be said to be a runaway one in terms of huge increases in expenditure.
As much while the budget seems to give practical meaning to the President’s commitment to poverty alleviation, it does this within the parametres of the country’s financial wherewithal. And in this one cannot but applaud (Omake!) the President and his team, in particular the new Minister of Finance. Because one thing that we often forget is that it is not an easy feat to deal with the twin challenges of poverty on the one hand, and limited resources on the other, and especially competing demands on finite sources of resources. And this is where the arduous task of the Finance Minister comes in, at times making his relationship with his colleagues, including the President, looks untenable. That’s why one must in the face of such huge demands to address many social ills, poverty among them, the budget increment is in the real sense incremental. Not only this but his navigation to ensure that such increments do not become a nemesis to growth is equally laudable. Omake!
Of particular note is that our senior citizens’ daily struggles to survive are less burdensome, thanks to an increase of N$400 a month, on top of the N$600 that they have already been receiving. As much as many would like to argue that this may be little given the skyrocketing cost of living that consumers have been experiencing over the years, and due to the fact that the increase may have been long overdue years ago, there’s no denying that the N$400 top-up would make a world of difference to the livelihood of senior citizens.
As much one cannot but also appreciatively take cognisance of the government’s fulfilment of its promise to make secondary education free, a factor that will surely go a long way towards giving the much-stretched resources of the parents a welcome reprieve so that hopefully they could be diverted towards other equally pressing household needs, especially putting bread and butter on their impoverished tables.
It is not coincidental that the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture is getting the biggest chunk of 11 billion Namibian Dollars, a trend over the years since independence, in view of the past negative legacies that the system has inherited. And especially in view of the fact that primary education has now become universally free in Namibia. But this often has been overshadowing the essence of quality. Has spending more on education, especially primary education, over the past years translated into better quality rather than quantity? This is a question that the country seriously needs to pause and ponder rather than being satisfied with spending more and more, in what may prove one day to be a bottomless pit, if not one already.
On crime prevention one cannot also ignore the increment that the police are getting. One of the scourges, if not thé scourge of the Namibian society, has been crime. A factor thereof has notably been lack of morale among the force as a result of not having conducive environs. Thus, one hopes that part of the funds would be applied, foremost, towards improving the living conditions of members of the force. One cannot also but note what seems relatively low allocations to such vital sectors such as land reform, urban and rural development and agriculture.
Agriculture, statistically, is the biggest employer of most people in Namibia, hence one cannot talk about poverty alleviation, reduction and ultimately eradication without due structural reform of the agricultural sector. By its own reference to agribusiness, the government in this regard is well aware of the pivotal role that agriculture can play in its frontal attack on poverty. But has and is agriculture receiving the budgetary allocation that it deserves to fulfil its contribution in this regard? As much one would have thought in this budget more premium shall be put on the renamed Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, which is vital in terms of reducing the annual urban influx from the rural areas, which it is not deniable, partly a factor of ever deteriorating if not neglected and underdeveloped rural areas, a natural habitat of a substantial number of our populace. This can be said as much about land reform, which can also be pivotal in the onslaught against poverty. Although given the uncertain weather patterns that have become a norm in Namibia due to global warming, the prospects of land as a tool in the strategies against poverty alleviation cannot be without circumspect.
But overall, surely a good beginning has been made by the new government. One cannot only hope that it sustains it but surely all must become part of the efforts to sustain this good beginning. This the President has already pointed out regarding tackling poverty, which needs a frontal attack, and that the Minister of Finance well reiterated in his budget speech. He emphasised the need for “tackling the structural challenges that affect the development potential of our economy, unlocking opportunities for jobs and wealth creation and improving the welfare of Namibians in an inclusive and sustainable manner.” As much as the “need to make bold decisions and commence with targeted policies to transform and diversify the economy, alongside a package of strategic interventions to amplify the policy impacts in the targeted areas”. This underlines the government’s premise that there cannot be any silver bullet to address the various challenges but that a package of policies and instruments are needed.