Geingob trashes Independence Day critics

PRESIDENT Hage Geingob yesterday hit out at Independence Day critics, saying such people were not around 50 years ago.

Geingob said people should also not be misled by those who hold the view that “there was nothing to celebrate” because the government has not done enough to improve the lives of the people since independence.

He said those criticising the government for spending heavily on Independence Day were not grateful and were not there 50 years ago.

The president made these remarks during the celebration of Namibia’s 29th Independence Day yesterday in Windhoek. At the poorly attended event, Geingob said despite the socio-economic challenges faced by the country, Namibians should not stop celebrating their independence because there was so much to celebrate.

This year, The Namibian on Tuesday reported that the government will spend about N$2,5 million on Independence Day celebrations.

The Namibian also reported last year that the government has spent close to N$90 million on Independence Day celebrations in the past seven years.

Despite the half-empty Independence Stadium, Geingob thanked the masses for “coming in big numbers” to celebrate the day.

“There are some [people] who are trying to discourage you from coming here, but you came here to celebrate this Independence Day. Don’t stop celebrating it; don’t be misled. Even America, who is 200 years old, they are still celebrating their independence day. We have problems, yes, but to say there is nothing to celebrate. Shame on you,” he said.

He said the government had done well with regards to fighting poverty and corruption since independence.

The president said more than 400 000 people were “lifted out of poverty during the period from 1994-2010”.

The president also referred to the introduction of the targeted social safety nets, including old-age pensions and social grants for people living with disabilities, orphans and vulnerable children as evidence of the government’s efforts to reduce poverty.

Since independence the government has also invested heavily in infrastructure development and maintenance, he added.

He said, Namibia’s track record in governance has been recognised both regionally and internationally.

“The successes that I have highlighted are indicative of the fact that Namibia has undergone a tremendous transformation over the past 29 years. The Namibia of 2019 is a far cry from the Namibia of 1990. This, coupled with our hard-won freedom, is an achievement worthy of celebration,” he said.

Geingob’s outrage was inspired by criticism from opposition parties and some economists who felt that the government should instead spend more on addressing the socio-economic challenges faced by the country.

Popular Democratic Movement leader McHenry Venaani, in a statement issued yesterday, said highlighting challenges faced by Namibians was hardly “a denigration of independence day celebrations”. He said the patience of the people with the government was running out and that the “status quo cannot continue, the centre cannot hold”.

Nudo secretary general Joseph Kauandenge also expressed dissatisfaction at the money spent on the celebration of Independence Day, saying the event was not supposed to be held “owing to the current hard reality of our economic outlook that is not positive at all”.

He said the money could have been used to address the current challenges faced by the nation such as unemployment, water sanitation, drought and housing, among others.

“The president chooses to pour champagne and caviar in the face of jobless, destitute, hungry and malnourished Namibians in the name of celebrating Independence,” he said.

The president’s indignation at the event received a lot of attention on social media with some trashing and some praising his views.

Some took to Twitter to respond to Geingob’s statements saying it was not their fault they were not born yet to be part of the liberation struggle while some posted aerial pictures of Windhoek’s informal settlements to show why they were not celebrating.

Justy Iithete on Facebook asked: “What changes? It’s just the same before and after independence. Oshilongo shokatongo [a country of apartheid]”.

Another Facebook user, Amanda Jacobs von Wielligh said, “Mr president, we are grateful for being independent, yes”.

“Dear sir we need not waste money when the country is in distress. We have a huge water shortage why not spend this money on getting the groundwater reserves in use. We don’t all benefit from these celebrations but we can all benefit from water,” said Jacobs.

Another user, Dallas Dmd Chubbylistic Shaangeni, said: “Cde president we don’t eat from your pocket. You eat from our pockets via tax, so don’t tell us what you want, we have people starving, and you are wasting a lot of money on events like this, buying and feeding people with brotchens?”. The guest of honour, Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta, was later on conferred with the ‘Order of the Most Ancient Welwitschia Mirabilis’.

Kenyatta said he was proud of how far Namibia has come and recounted the liberation struggle and fallen heroes.