Phosphate mining debacle The proposed phosphate mining issue has been the reoccurring headline in newspapers since it emerged with considerable attention from different stakeholders (the public included). The issue is greatly concerned with our environment and our very important and valuable aquatic life and marine resources. The attention was also raised in the parliament with the officials having differing and divided opinions between them. The impact that the proposed mining might have on the fishing industry, which mind you is maybe the third or second most important economic sector, is of great importance. Commercial fishing and fish processing is the fastest-growing sector of the Namibian economy in terms of employment, export earnings, and contribution to GDP. At independence, the fish stocks had fallen to dangerously low levels, due to the lack of protection and conservation of the fisheries and the over-exploitation of these resources. Since then the government had gone to great lengths to put mechanisms in place for the protection and conservation of our marine resources through quotas etc., with proposals for fish farming also being sounded out! So the phosphate mining to many, if not all, is a mystery. It will halt the progress the government has made over the years to make the fishing and marine resources industry productive and being a huge drive within the Namibian economy. The reoccurring problem that our country and probably many other African countries experiences is the exclusion and ignorance of public opinion and lack of public participation in the decision-making of such things. Government as it is cannot guarantee the absence of corruption among its officials or even the independence from different influential people involved in this project. It is therefore crucial that the public be involved and included in the decisions that are made which mostly and in the first place before anyone else affects the citizens and the public in general. As it is, the public is emphasising the importance and the value that the marine resources and its environment has, not only in a monetary sense or economic sense, but also to the people of the country and why it is important not to disrupt the aquatic environment with potentially dangerous untried marine phosphate mining, which can easily have a devastating effect on the Namibian fish industry and marine animal life. Recently, the people have written lengthy letters, articles and shared their thoughts and disappointments at the proposed phosphate mining, pointing to the damage it might cause to the marine ecosystem and progress the government has made in nature conservation. However, despite this outcry, it mostly goes unheard or recognised by the important decision-makers. The institutions established to be involved in cases like this, the likes of Ombudsman or the environmental commissioner, are incidentally acting as bystanders and are merely spectators as the situation unfolds without any involvement, or generally to a lesser extent, without any impact on the decisions. This highlights the need for the public to get involved and be encouraged and called upon to participate, listen to the debate and also have an influence on the decisions taken at the top and object if necessary, considering how toothless our institutions are in representing the public interest. The commissioner among others ensures that the country''s living natural resources are utilised, conserved and maintained to a sustainable extent for the benefit of all Namibians, both present and future. You wonder if this project is going to benefit all Namibians. Or if it is going to be more beneficial than the marine resources has been to Namibians over the years? The fishing sector directly employs over 13 000 people, and around 200 000 if the number is expanded to net-makers as well as the repair and maintenance of vessels and packing, while phosphate mining is estimated to create around 1 000 jobs.An environmental impact assessment (EIA) report shows that the fishing sector will be hit by phosphate mining. All kinds of fish species will be negatively affected by this mining, it might cause the species to migrate to other waters and this might reduce the fish capacity or quantity in the country and this as you can imagine may reduce employment in the sector.
Politicians mostly make decisions based on the gains that they may take from the projects without thinking about everyone else. Corruption is mostly within the politicians before it comes to citizens, which is why it will not end anytime soon or be completely abolished in Namibia, just like any other African country, because the people supposedly fighting corruption are largely the corrupt ones. This again suggests why we need public opinions and citizens to be involved in government decision-making, people who may not in any way benefit from the project directly or indirectly but are there to represent the public and their stance on the matter.
The only people pushing for this project are only those that want to build their reputations, the mining company owners who directly benefit from this mining and other beneficiaries, these are mostly politicians, who yet are the ones debating the project (conflict of interest). What is baffling again is the fact that the mining company''s 85% is owned by a non-Namibian national. Again you wonder how this is going to benefit Namibian citizens or the economy for that matter. Public opinions not only need to be heard, they need to be applied and put into practice when it comes to the final decision. They need to be recognised and valued not simply read and ignored.
*Joseph Tobias is fourth-year student studying towards a Bachelor''s degree (Honours) in Public Management at the University of Namibia.