At the end of the day, a budget is only words on paper. One cannot spend a budget. Government has once again laid out what it wishes to spend in a fiscal year vs what it hopes will be income in that same year. In saying this, we do not in any way denigrate the hard work of Finance Minister Ipumbu Shiimi’s team.
Read MoreWe have regularly commented on the current flawed process of Members of Parliament (MPs) disclosing a part of their assets to the public. The point of this disclosure is to identify conflicts of interest in matters before the legislature.
Read MoreWhen the emergency income grant (EIG) of N$750 was announced, we applauded the idea. At the same time, we raised concerns about how the program would be packaged and rolled-out to the public. The current wave of public gripes about the grant seems to reflect that indeed, there is major misunderstanding about what the EIG was meant to be. Expectations were raised that cannot be met.
Read MoreWe remain committed to following government rules regarding the multi-stage lockdown. However, we feel obliged to ask the question for debate: Are our cures/prevention remedies for the pandemic worse than the disease itself?
Read MoreThe decision about 5G technology in Windhoek in order to allow the city council to create what will be effectively, another an SOE is alarming. A quasi-SOE jointly owned by the City of Windhoek (CoW) and Huawei will supposedly run a fast, state-of-the-art internet ‘system’ conceived, financed, installed and operated by the Chinese. This is supposed to be a good thing for Windhoek. We disagree.
Read MoreIn general, we tend to support the lawsuit by several companies challenging the government. The cherry-picking of existing national labour laws, will destroy their businesses. Other laws that could overlap this situation are being side-stepped. The precedent is frightening.
Read MoreNamibia faces a serious problem of re-paying the Eurobonds that will come due in October 2021. The time for outside professional, experienced professionals to address the problem has come. This cannot be done on the cheap.
Read MoreThe real challenge the president faces is not cancelling car purchases or termination of special advisors to regional governors, but how the Eurobonds taken in US dollar currency will be re-paid on time.
Read MoreWe are encouraged to read that cabinet members with conflicts of interest regarding the fisheries issue on the agenda had to step out. What concerns us is that such an action is considered new. This should have been the case from the start.
Read MoreThose who eat regularly, have some income, and a safe, warm place to sleep need to stop shouting so loud. Your noise is drowning out the screams from those who have nothing. These are challenging times and all of us must come down a notch or two. The selfish rich and middle classes, need a wake-up call.
Read MoreMost Namibians love their country and do not divide their loyalty by ethnic, racial or tribal segments. They are proud Namibians. This is no less the case for us. But, when the members of boards, holders of high office and certain government job appointments, are only people from the Oshiwambo-speaking ethnic group, the playing field is uneven. This is a problem.
Read MoreOur educational system teaches students to ‘do’ but not to think. Beneficiaries of apartheid and colonialism loved this. Thinking people will quickly and easily perceive weaknesses and attack strategically. After independence, in most public schools, that same back-handed educational trend continued.
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