EDITORIAL: Veterans’ extravagant spending

We certainly agree, in principle, that veterans of the liberation struggle deserve a pat on the back – in the form of a modest monetary reward – as a way to thank them for their contribution to our freedom.

But the extravagant spending that we have seen so far contradicts the narrative that these patriotic Namibians participated in the struggle out of free will, for the love of the motherland. Listen to their stories on Heroes' Day. Apparently they ‘volunteered’, but now they want over-the-top payment. Some are now holding Swapo hostage by threatening to boycott elections in November, or to brave the scorching sun and vote for a different party to teach the former liberation movement ‘a lesson’.

Now, government is cornered and has gone to some extraordinary, if not unprecedented, extremes to appease the war veterans. One of them is to reserve what is historically ancestral land for individual freedom fighters - at the expense of the dispossessed original owners of that land. It’s either that politicians - many liberation veterans themselves - are using the cause to get their hands on land, or that they are prepared to appease veterans by any means necessary.

Government created this problem by over-committing itself to the veterans. It's no wonder so many of them remain uncatered for because there is simply not enough resources to accommodate everyone. Sadly, we are now at the point of no return. Only God can save us now.