Presidents may change, but Constitution is a constant

NAMIBIANS should not despair over the fact that President Sam Nujoma had decided to step down, Minister of Trade and Industry, Jesaya Nyamu, told a workshop of the Erongo National Youth Forum at Swakopmund on Friday.

He said as long as the country’s political institutions were solid another leader would emerge. “The new leader will not be the same as President Nujoma.We have to face reality that the new leader will have a different way of dealing with matters.What matters is that he will be guided by democracy and the Constitution.”According to Nyamu, the only guarantees in politics were the institutions of Government.”They serve as the checks and balances and ensure that the leader observes certain fundamental rules,” he said.The Minister said Namibia did not want a dictator as had been the case all over Africa.”These leaders think they are sent by God to save the nation.We need a leadership that is sensitive to the needs of the people and observes the rules.”He cited Botswana and South Africa as examples of democracy, saying Namibia should rather look to them.”As a relatively new nation, we can learn from the ups and downs of other African countries.”Turning to other issues, the Minister told the more than 30 young people from across the region that the challenge facing them was to eliminate poverty.”We need to chart a new outlook on life based on hard work and production.We are the most spoilt and corrupt nation in Africa in terms of the good cars and clothes that we all want – items we do not even produce ourselves.”Nyamu said it was not only the young generation that were spoilt.”When I was studying in the US with other ministers during the struggle years, we were living in New York but ordered our clothes from Germany and France.”Namibia is the only country in Africa where you would find a well-dressed person who cannot read or write.Our ladies have the best hairdos in the continent.We really need to change our lifestyles to become more productive.”According to Nyamu, Namibians knew how to work hard, but only if they chose to do so.He castigated people who started in a new job and started to think of the Mercedes Benz they were going to buy before they had even received their first pay.”People are demanding higher wages before they have made a contribution to the company they work for,” he exclaimed.The Minister advised young people to acquire skills and to get qualifications.He said from 2008 the SADC common market would provide for the free movement of goods and labour.”We will then have to compete with SADC citizens for jobs, and if we do not have proper qualifications, we will end up at the bottom of the workforce and remain cleaners and domestic workers.”The three-day workshop on ‘Youth in Democracy’ was sponsored by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.”The new leader will not be the same as President Nujoma.We have to face reality that the new leader will have a different way of dealing with matters.What matters is that he will be guided by democracy and the Constitution.”According to Nyamu, the only guarantees in politics were the institutions of Government.”They serve as the checks and balances and ensure that the leader observes certain fundamental rules,” he said.The Minister said Namibia did not want a dictator as had been the case all over Africa.”These leaders think they are sent by God to save the nation.We need a leadership that is sensitive to the needs of the people and observes the rules.”He cited Botswana and South Africa as examples of democracy, saying Namibia should rather look to them.”As a relatively new nation, we can learn from the ups and downs of other African countries.”Turning to other issues, the Minister told the more than 30 young people from across the region that the challenge facing them was to eliminate poverty.”We need to chart a new outlook on life based on hard work and production.We are the most spoilt and corrupt nation in Africa in terms of the good cars and clothes that we all want – items we do not even produce ourselves.”Nyamu said it was not only the young generation that were spoilt.”When I was studying in the US with other ministers during the struggle years, we were living in New York but ordered our clothes from Germany and France.”Namibia is the only country in Africa where you would find a well-dressed person who cannot read or write.Our ladies have the best hairdos in the continent.We really need to change our lifestyles to become more productive.”According to Nyamu, Namibians knew how to work hard, but only if they chose to do so.He castigated people who started in a new job and started to think of the Mercedes Benz they were going to buy before they had even received their first pay.”People are demanding higher wages before they have made a contribution to the company they work for,” he exclaimed.The Minister advised young people to acquire skills and to get qualifications.He said from 2008 the SADC common market would provide for the free movement of goods and labour.”We will then have to compete with SADC citizens for jobs, and if we do not have proper qualifications, we will end up at the bottom of the workforce and remain cleaners and domestic workers.”The three-day workshop on ‘Youth in Democracy’ was sponsored by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.