Land Of The Blind?

NAMIBIA is called the land of the brave, but we need to add the word ‘blind’ to complete the true picture.

Meles said a preliminary report on the May 15 polls by the EU Election Observation Mission which said the process fell far short of international standards was biased, unfounded and that his government would “expose” the truth. “The mission statement in my view turns itself into a farce, which is characterised in a pack of lies,” he said, referring to the EU team’s stated goal of neutrality and objectivity in its observation work.”In the coming days and weeks, we (will be) working on means and ways to expose the pack of lies of the European Union Observers Mission report to Ethiopians and the international community alike,” Meles told reporters.His comments, at a joint new conference with visiting Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa, were the strongest and highest-level criticism yet from the Ethiopian government about the EU report which was released on Thursday. Or how else does one explain what is happening in the country of late? Let’s start with the N$50 million delivered to Kabila who has since died.By the way, where do we stand on this ‘loan’, Minister Kuugongelwa? Perhaps because Sam Nujoma is no longer the President, we therefore cannot be required to trace the money.Case closed.And then N$3 million for the bogus arms deal.How on earth can the country’s Defence Force ‘buy’ arms from a non-existent, at best bogus, arms dealer? How do we know that even the arms the NDF currently has are real and not some Halloween toys? Minister Iivula-Ithana has given up on this case because no one is responsible for the mess except the faceless crooks.Case closed.And then another group sweet-talked the exorbitantly paid CEO and general managers at the SSC, some of them apparently equipped with MBAs, into believing that they can perform miracles with the SSC N$30 million.The good news is that Avid doesn’t keep records …It’s now oral history.Case still open.And then the GIPF gave Nando’s a ‘loan’ of more than N$10 million.Loan not paid back.Case closed.As if these soapies were not enough to keep the nation glued to the telly and the newspapers for weeks to come, here comes the ODC with another N$100 million ‘invested’ somewhere.The problem is that no one has a clue where this ‘somewhere’ is.And the CEO of ODC, just like Avid’s Kandara, is now promising the nation that he will make ‘a delivery’ in a couple of days.Case open.The problem plaguing the country is simple: you have an old political leadership that is very tired and disinterested in the country’s welfare and young but greedy, inexperienced and ignorant managers running the show.Being brave and blind is a very dangerous combination indeed.Aluta continua the Namibian soapies.Solo Isaack Cape Town Asked whether the report would draw a diplomatic reponse or affect relations with the European Union, Meles was coy but hinted Ethiopia would respond.”In terms of relations with the EU countries, let us wait and see, but you should not be surprised if Ethiopia declines to be patronised,” he said.In its August 25 report, the EU mission said the election process, notably post-vote investigations into opposition claims of massive fraud, “did not live up to international standards and to the aspirations of Ethiopians for democracy.”It lauded peaceful conduct and huge voter turnout on polling day itself but identified a litany of problematic post-election developments including “irregularities, delays and opacity of the counting and aggregation of data plus subsequent fraud (and) handling of complaints.”Protests over alleged fraud sparked deadly violence in the capital in June when police opened fire on crowds during demonstrations, killing at least 36 and as many as 42 people.- Nampa-AFP”The mission statement in my view turns itself into a farce, which is characterised in a pack of lies,” he said, referring to the EU team’s stated goal of neutrality and objectivity in its observation work.”In the coming days and weeks, we (will be) working on means and ways to expose the pack of lies of the European Union Observers Mission report to Ethiopians and the international community alike,” Meles told reporters.His comments, at a joint new conference with visiting Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa, were the strongest and highest-level criticism yet from the Ethiopian government about the EU report which was released on Thursday. Or how else does one explain what is happening in the country of late? Let’s start with the N$50 million delivered to Kabila who has since died.By the way, where do we stand on this ‘loan’, Minister Kuugongelwa? Perhaps because Sam Nujoma is no longer the President, we therefore cannot be required to trace the money.Case closed.And then N$3 million for the bogus arms deal.How on earth can the country’s Defence Force ‘buy’ arms from a non-existent, at best bogus, arms dealer? How do we know that even the arms the NDF currently has are real and not some Halloween toys? Minister Iivula-Ithana has given up on this case because no one is responsible for the mess except the faceless crooks.Case closed.And then another group sweet-talked the exorbitantly paid CEO and general managers at the SSC, some of them apparently equipped with MBAs, into believing that they can perform miracles with the SSC N$30 million.The good news is that Avid doesn’t keep records …It’s now oral history.Case still open.And then the GIPF gave Nando’s a ‘loan’ of more than N$10 million.Loan not paid back.Case closed.As if these soapies were not enough to keep the nation glued to the telly and the newspapers for weeks to come, here comes the ODC with another N$100 million ‘invested’ somewhere.The problem is that no one has a clue where this ‘somewhere’ is.And the CEO of ODC, just like Avid’s Kandara, is now promising the nation that he will make ‘a delivery’ in a couple of days.Case open.The problem plaguing the country is simple: you have an old political leadership that is very tired and disinterested in the country’s welfare and young but greedy, inexperienced and ignorant managers running the show.Being brave and blind is a very dangerous combination indeed.Aluta continua the Namibian soapies.Solo Isaack Cape Town Asked whether the report would draw a diplomatic reponse or affect relations with the European Union, Meles was coy but hinted Ethiopia would respond.”In terms of relations with the EU countries, let us wait and see, but you should not be surprised if Ethiopia declines to be patronised,” he said.In its August 25 report, the EU mission said the election process, notably post-vote investigations into opposition claims of massive fraud, “did not live up to international standards and to the aspirations of Ethiopians for democracy.”It lauded peaceful conduct and huge voter turnout on polling day itself but identified a litany of problematic post-election developments including “irregularities, delays and opacity of the counting and aggregation of data plus subsequent fraud (and) handling of complaints.”Protests over alleged fraud sparked deadly violence in the capital in June when police opened fire on crowds during demonstrations, killing at least 36 and as many as 42 people.- Nampa-AFP