Kae Matundu – Tjiparuro
THROUGH a recent report in a local English daily, headlined “Govt hospital’s ‘elite wing’ raises eyebrows”, Namibia was and has been awakened to the harsh fact that the ideal of a classless society upon the attainment of independence, which has been seeming remote, shall never be. Not to mention if it ever was genuinely meant.
That a classless society in an independent Namibia shall never be may not come from the Swapo of Namibia itself. Indeed, it has long been coming since independence: all talks about a classless society upon independence, or after, and it has been 36 years now; they were just pure empty verbiage. What we have since been made to realise is that liberation talk and neo-colonial talk and reality, for that matter, are worlds apart. As much as the aspirations and expectations of those at the receiving end of capitalism and colonialism, and those perpetrating it.
Today in an independent Namibia the roles of different independence aspirants have changed dramatically. With those leading the liberation movement then, presumably today they are in charge of the political affairs of the country in a ruling capacity. While the role of the people, who were at the receiving end of colonial capitalism, has never changed but has been continuing in exactly the same manner. That of being a class of the working people and their allies.
Allies in their continued exploitation and oppression and neglect by the very system that was exploiting and oppressing them yesterday during the colonial period. Only that today, and/or in this era, it has been refined for yesterday’s leaders of the liberation movement to believe that they are now in charge. In charge of what? Of course, the very same capitalist system.
Operational in the territory that has now been renamed Namibia in an attempt to try and hide its real veneer of the continued exploitation, oppression, neglect and condemnation to perpetual squalor. But in reality, just the South West Africa of old, lock, stock and barrel. With former leaders of the liberation struggle presumably now in charge. But in charge of what except as proxies of the prevalent capitalist system?
It is this very reality that is manifesting itself in the PSEMAS matter. Where a ward in the Windhoek Central Hospital has been revamped at a cost of millions of Namibian dollars. Not to provide for better health facilities for all and sundry but for the anointed few, the chosen layer of Namibian society. Call them whatever class you would wish to call them and fit the classification.
But whatever class they are and may be defined as, they presumably deserve a healthy safe haven, which is the said ward in the Windhoek Central Hospital. Which is to be cordoned, secluded, and off-limits just for the medical care of the defined upper class, should they need it. With the rest of the citizenry made to believe that they may have access to it, if ever.
As much as the Namibian President must indeed be commended for causing so much to be spent on the Windhoek Central Hospital, it is surely confounding that the motivation, more than anything, is because the hospital is now going to provide health care to the anointed. Not because it is generally in need of upgrading so that each and every citizen benefits from an up-to-standard health care system.
This is treating some citizens of this country like nobodies. In fact, there’s no mistaking that, indeed, to our government, everyone else except a few matters. While, actually, none other than a few are to get first-grade public healthcare.
More often than not, the 8th administration, since taking over the political reins of the country, has been at pains to point out that it is now business unusual. If the case of a specialised ward for the chosen few at the Windhoek Central Hospital is a foretaste of the business unusual mantra, Namibians are better advised to brave themselves for the deepening of inequality in society.
Far from what they have already been seeing and experiencing thus far. It simply does not make sense that the government only finds motivation to upgrade health facilities when a certain category of Namibian citizens needs them.
This should absolutely not be the motivation. If indeed the government is resolved on providing up-to-standard health care facilities, this does not need any motivation, especially not the one that the facilities would be treating Very Very Important People (VVIPs).
Neither, for that matter, did it need enticing top civil servants by upgrading the said ward. If any health facilities, or any public utilities for that matter, need upgrading, it must be intrinsic to quality, up-to-standard service delivery, whatever the service may be. The substantive rationale is simply better service delivery to the citizenry in general. Not a certain category of it.
Thus, the government need not rationalise such a noble act of upgrading facilities by motivating it by departmentalising certain parts of the facilities for a specific clientele, however it is labelled.
Needless to say, the government must come forward with a better explanation than has hitherto been offered the public. Yours Truly Ideologically has never understood the changes and/or requirements that those on the government’s medical scheme are compelled to use only public health facilities. So that thereby the government has a reason to improve such facilities. The standard of such facilities cannot and should not depend on who is using them.
As long as the government is providing free medical care to citizens, it is equally incumbent upon it to ensure that both service providers and the facilities in question are necessarily not luxurious given that they cater to the masses. But and still certainly, they must be of reasonable standard to meet the health needs of a modern society that Namibia presumably is. Thus, within its financial limitations, the government, without any rationalisation and justification, must and should invest in such.
Needless to mention that the health of its citizens is a priority. This is as long as it has pledged and continues to promise to provide it. Brave attempt by the Prime Minister to save the face of the administration in this regard. But lack substance and principle. Other than the defensive rationalisation.
