What is our development agenda?

It is absolutely clear that we are a country in a state of confusion. In development terms, one does not know if we are coming or going. The other day we had the National Development Programs (NDPs) – the fifth that is about to come to an end now – and we heard there was a Harambee Prosperity Plan.

While we were getting used to this sloganeering plan, we were told there was Harambee Prosperity Plan number two. Then we recall that there is something called "Growth at Home" and the Industrial Policy.

Before we get anywhere, we have a new investment board. Then again, we heard that foreign affairs is making changes to economic diplomacy as the basis of our foreign policy. Part of these changes included what the president described as "enemy to none and friends to all".

At the same time, we are told that Swapo, the ruling party, changed its ideology to apparently be "socialism with Namibian characteristics."

If we are "friends to all", this would mean that the day Swapo adopted "socialism," this is meaningless to capitalists because we are friends to all.

Why this matters is because we have allowed a situation whereby the secretary general of SWAPO sits in Cabinet and the party manifesto has been integrated into government policy frameworks.

The education system is important for development. We recall that there was an education conference under Abraham Iyambo. Before any resolution could be implemented, we hear of a new educational conference that took place recently. No one was able to follow what was discussed there. In between, we were subjected to a new curriculum that created confusion between institutions of higher learning and the schooling system.

With all these economic fragmented policies or policy imitations, we entered an economic recession that Covid came to finish off. Then the Bank of Namibia Act was amended to accommodate one person, and the age limitations were removed to benefit the ageing Gawanab.

The Financial Intelligence Centre was also effectively captured. No Fishrot-like scandals will catch the political elites by surprise in future.

Financial institutions such as GIPF and Namfisa were caught with their pants down on the FIMA law. No one knows where we are going on the land question. The conference came and went. In fact, on the eve of the conference, the government sold land to foreigners. Agricultural institutions are in shambles.

With ministers in jail and others facing corruption allegations, every day we wake to new allegations of corruption. Ministers spend time denying this or that allegation instead of articulating a development agenda.

Then we are brought into a circus of Geingob successors inside Swapo. We hear no developmental agenda from the candidates. If anything, all we hear is confirmation of corruption and denial of corruption amongst candidates. What a circus that is.

The budget keeps decreasing and decreasing. Public enterprises are the most destabilised. Parliament is nothing but a platform for shouting. MPs themselves do not have faith in their institution. The 81-year-old speaker is surely only thinking about his grandchildren.

The debt will soon reach 80% of GDP. Many have surrendered to their lord. Each Sunday, they go to church and pray for divine intervention. A naughty youth was angry about Covid-19. When I asked him why, he said he expected Covid to solve our problems by making the majority of our ministers and MPs meet their maker sooner rather than later. Alas, he was disappointed that this didn’t happen as he anticipated. This is how bad things have become if our youth wish death upon our leaders as a solution to development challenges.

The point is: we have no development agenda. No synergy and clear developmental direction.

Muthoni waKongola is a native of Kongola in the Zambezi Region primarily concerned with analysing society and offering ideas for a better Namibia. She is reachable at [email protected] or @wakongola on Twitter.