No to easy rides The mantra 'no Namibian should feel left out' is commonly used by our leaders in public speeches and so on. This has, frankly speaking, been a potent mantra for the Geingob administration, which has promised inclusive leadership. However, many Namibians, especially young professionals are getting the short end of the stick from the authorities. They feel hard done by and are dissatisfied by a lack of opportunities for personal and professional growth. In yesterday's edition we reported on the preferential treatment that 29 Zimbabwean quantity surveyors and architects are receiving from our government at the expense of local professionals. The 29 Zimbabweans have been granted exemption from professional competence examinations. This has caused outrage among Namibians who find the easy ride for their Zimbabwean counterparts as unfair, uncalled for and not in the best interest of the country. In the letter addressed to the Namibia Council of Architects and Quantity Surveyors, works minister Alpheus !Naruseb requested the registration process of the 29 professionals to be expedited, paving the way for the group to register with the council faster than usual. The letter by the minister was authored in March this year and the exemption requirements were ordered with immediate effect. The failure by the works ministry to clarify this matter also adds salt to wound. Given the stringent registration and classification criteria for qualified professionals such as quantity surveyors, architects and engineers, it is absurd that government is providing leeway to the Zimbabwean professionals by allowing them to sidestep assessment rules for them to start working in Namibia. Yes, we fully understand the contribution of our Zimbabwean brothers and sisters to the Namibian economy. But why should there be an easy ride for a selected few? Political decisions between the two countries have led to the closure of the SME Bank recently and we can ill-afford to go the same route again. If the Zimbabweans are competent enough they should register like any another professional in Namibia and compete on equal terms with locals. At the moment government is doing very little in protecting the interests of Namibians who are now clearly frustrated because of a lack of employment opportunities.No to easy rides The mantra 'no Namibian should feel left out' is commonly used by our leaders in public speeches and so on. This has, frankly speaking, been a potent mantra for the Geingob administration, which has promised inclusive leadership. However, many Namibians, especially young professionals are getting the short end of the stick from the authorities. They feel hard done by and are dissatisfied by a lack of opportunities for personal and professional growth. In yesterday's edition we reported on the preferential treatment that 29 Zimbabwean quantity surveyors and architects are receiving from our government at the expense of local professionals. The 29 Zimbabweans have been granted exemption from professional competence examinations. This has caused outrage among Namibians who find the easy ride for their Zimbabwean counterparts as unfair, uncalled for and not in the best interest of the country. In the letter addressed to the Namibia Council of Architects and Quantity Surveyors, works minister Alpheus !Naruseb requested the registration process of the 29 professionals to be expedited, paving the way for the group to register with the council faster than usual. The letter by the minister was authored in March this year and the exemption requirements were ordered with immediate effect. The failure by the works ministry to clarify this matter also adds salt to wound. Given the stringent registration and classification criteria for qualified professionals such as quantity surveyors, architects and engineers, it is absurd that government is providing leeway to the Zimbabwean professionals by allowing them to sidestep assessment rules for them to start working in Namibia. Yes, we fully understand the contribution of our Zimbabwean brothers and sisters to the Namibian economy. But why should there be an easy ride for a selected few? Political decisions between the two countries have led to the closure of the SME Bank recently and we can ill-afford to go the same route again. If the Zimbabweans are competent enough they should register like any another professional in Namibia and compete on equal terms with locals. At the moment government is doing very little in protecting the interests of Namibians who are now clearly frustrated because of a lack of employment opportunities.