We need to listen It''s high time we have an honest conversation about where we went wrong as a nation. All throughout the country there clearly is a general feeling of divide, of disappointment and of a desire to be part of the Namibian house. The latter offers hope; it''s indication that all is not lost, and that we can again be the nation we were at the dawn of independence.
Following the first elections, the country was engulfed by a sense of jubilation, a sense of nationhood and a sense of belonging. The people had their first government. We were looking at the prospects of sending our children to school, where each of them will have an equal shot at the Namibian dream. Labourers hoped they will have better working conditions, and Namibians from all walks of life were ready to build a new Namibia. Sadly, somewhere along the way things went horribly wrong. From corruption, to unfair distribution of wealth, to the creation of seemingly filthy rich black elites while most Namibians struggle to get through.
Recent remarks by deputy minister of lands Bernadus Swartbooi have left the nation divided, on both tribal and moral conviction lines.
This shows just how deep our divide has gone. Swartbooi highlighted what is felt in southern Namibia and just because you don''t agree, doesn''t mean that you get to reduce and downplay the feeling of being hard-done.
Over the weekend, Eunice Ipinge was elected SPWC Secretary. Ipinge is a former secretary of the council, her election itself should serve as a reminder about how we have been unable or unwilling to nurture the Namibian youth, especially young women, to rise to the occasion in this country that will once be theirs to inherit. We need to stop speaking for people, stop telling them what they should be feeling and start listening. We need to listen to minority groups, we need to listen to the girl child, we need to listen to the youth, we need to ask them what we can do differently to ensure that they feel and be part of the Namibian house. We have work to do. We need to do better.