Visionaries must protect their vision through strategy

More than 20 years ago, our first president, Sam Nujoma, mobilised society for the extension of the railway line from Tsumeb to Ondangwa. Students, workers and corporate executives all took turns pushing wheelbarrows, dressed in overalls, in what was successfully packaged as a national project. Private companies made donations to this project. Ordinary folks donated chickens, cows and goats.

Of course, this was a major government capital project, for which funds were budgeted and available. In fact, a private contractor who won the tender was on site. It was never dependent on volunteerism. This was understood, but a majority of Namibians were still captivated by Sam Nujoma’s clarion call. Very few, if any, counter arguments were advanced. The charismatic Nujoma was seen as an embodiment of sound judgement in the collective interest of Namibians. The leader and his vision mobilised the masses.

President Hage Geingob has his own green hydrogen project, which promises to solve our future energy problems and grow our economy. His wife believes the project can solve the energy problems of our neighbours too. The green hydrogen and the railway project are comparable in scale. If President Hage Geingob is to call upon the public to volunteer to dig trenches to bring the water from the sea to the factories creating hydrogen, how many people will volunteer?

It is here where one realises that vision and its acceptability by society don’t simply occur because of positions of power.

Another project that Nujoma mobilised society for is the creation of the National Youth Service (NYS). It is said that he wanted all the youth in Namibia to undergo a compulsory training programme to bring about commonalities in the orientation of the population. He had seen this elsewhere, such as in Zimbabwe, Ghana, and other places. The NYS was eventually created through an act of parliament towards the end of his term in office.

Today we will reflect on these two visions to drive home the column’s concern about leaders protecting visions through strategy. The reality of modern society is that we have accepted many things without looking at our subjective and objective realities. One of the things we have uncritically accepted is the limitations of presidential terms.

There has been no justification for this practice beyond an unexamined argument that it is what democratic and civilised nations do. While a president is limited to two five-year terms, ministers can stay on for years. In Namibia’s case, we have seen a situation where ministers have been in Cabinet for more than 25 years.

Given this state of affairs, how do presidents ensure that they protect their visions in the political climate of term limits and change in leadership? The above examples are a case in point.

What significant economic activities have taken place after the railway line reached Ondangwa? Some may argue that TransNamib does transport cement and other cargo to Ondangwa. If that is the case, this must be asked; between TransNamib and the trucks, who transports most of the cement from Ohorongo and Cheetah factories to Ondangwa?

The same comparative assessment must be done with other goods. If confirmation is made that trucks transport more goods from central/southern Namibia to Ondangwa, the question that arises is: what then is the purpose of expanding the railway from Tsumeb to Ondangwa? The answer to this question can be obtained by looking at Nujoma's original vision.

What did he really want with the railway extension? For example, it is said that he wanted the railway to reach the coast of Kaokoland. He is no longer in office and both his chosen successors, Hifikepunye Pohamba and Hage Geingob, have never opened their mouths about this original vision.

The NYS is now a stooge of the comprador bourgeoisie, owning a business with capitalist unions with links to international capital.

It runs a security company whereby youth who report to the NYS training programme on patriotism, as Nujoma envisaged, are turned into security guards, protecting brothels and night clubs. It is doubtful this is what Nujoma envisioned.

What can leaders do in these circumstances? We learn that visionaries must protect their visions through strategy. If Nujoma had had a Cabinet-backed and approved strategy on the railway vision, it would not have turned out this way.

The same with the NYS. Modern society thus teaches us that more needs to be done and strategy is key. If not, as a visionary, you will one day come across a video of on-heat unemployed youngsters having sex at a site where a factory was supposed to be built to employ them.

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.