Testing from my cellphone

To sell the skin before you shoot the bear!

The blog is reading with interest that the opposition in Namibia is planning to join together in a coalition-style in order to beat swapo in Novembers local authority elections. According to reports from meetings between the various opposition-parties, RDP (Rally for Democracy and Progress) is behaving like they are the boss and tries to shout the others around. Come on, guys! Maybe you should win the elections first before you can behave like you run the show. Normally it’s first after the votes are counted that we know who won the most votes and can make the demands. But here in Namibia it’s the other way around. You first make a lot of demands and when you meet opposition (from the other opposition, mind you!) you sulk and behave like a little 3-year old. Not to mention making totally outrageous promises to the voters; what was it they promised last time around, let’s see: free tractors to the communal farmers, land for everyone that wants it…and so on. Not a word about where all the money will come from to pay for all this nice goodies. Can anyone really take political parties like that any serious? I know I can’t; they act and sound like total amateurs! We can think that swapos representatives around in the various municipalities is doing a lousy job but at least some of them is at least trying to do good. The opposition isn’t even trying to look professional before election; how will they look while in power?? Maybe they will get their act together before the elections, but at least this blog is doubting it! Maybe a spoilt ballot is the way to go if one doesn’t know who to vote for?

A new ferry

The blog read in todays New Era that there will be a new ferry-service in the very rural areas east of Katima Mulilo in the far north-eastern corner of Namibia. This is very good since the people there haven't had anything like that for many years. But, what strikes me as a bit strange is that "Prior to independence, the colonial South African Defence Force (SADF) operated a river barge between Impalila Island and Katima Mulilo. The barge was the main mode of transport among residents living along the river. After the withdrawal of SADF, the new government continued the ferry service until 1994 when it ceased this service". What was that? The old regime had a service to the people but a few years after Independence the swapo-regime stopped the service?! Why did they stop it? Wasn't the Caprivi-people important enough to spend money on? And why is it now, 16 years after they stopped the service, that a deputy Minister shamelessly can stand and say that the "SWAPO Party Government resolved in May 2009, to procure a suitable transport craft for the Zambezi River and its required supporting infrastructure"? Has he no shame at all? I wonder if some Minister back in 1994 was standing saying that "the SWAPO Party Government will now stop this ferry-service to you people. Be grateful!"? No, I didn't think so either.

But in any case, next time I visit the eastern Caprivi, I would love to take a trip on that ferry!!!

The week that just passed.

This week have been both terrible tragic and very informative.
The tragic thing first: On Tuesday a young girl was walking home early from her school when she was attacked, raped and murdered by some damn bastard. The whole country was in uproar about it, even (some) politicians managed to open their mouth!

The newspaper New Era had a very interesting serie about the plundering of State-employed peoples pension-money in GIPF (Government Institution Pension Fund). Almost a billion N$ was borrowed/invested to various BEE-people (BEE=Black Economic Enrichment) and only about a third was paid back. The rest, over 600 million N$ was "written off" as bad loans because the brothers never paid back a cent and obviously had no intention of doing it in the first place!! 600 million (almost 82 million US $). Suck on that, folks! Imagine how that could have helped poor people who have no decent housing or food or decent schools...instead of making a few well-connected people pretty rich! Land of contrasts, that's for sure!!

And lastly can be reported that the spanking new (and BIG) Mercedes' our dear Ministers will get (the Volvos they had was too small for the fat politicians so they demanded bigger cars!) have now arrived and will be distributed to the fast-eating politicians within weeks. Taxpayers money put to good use!

The Department of Satirical Affairs have this to say: We read that the former President, Sam Nujoma, is getting a new office built in Windhoek. The latest numbers shows that it will cost close to 50 million Namibian dollars/Rand instead of the budgeted 22 N$. The Department is very happy that tax-payers money is being used!