Stefanus Nashama
The Roman Catholic Church says it is deeply concerned about the poor implementation, performance and outcomes of public health and police services.
The Church held the Namibian Catholic Bishops Conference (NCBC)’ on 13 April to analyse and comment on the National Budget tabled by Finance Minister, Iipumbu Shiimi, on 22 February 2023.
The Church said the concern is brought about by the fact that the majority of people especially the poor cannot afford private services, thus they rely on the public sector for basic human needs such as education, health and public safety.
NCBC President Archbishop, Liborius Ndumbukuti Nashenda called on the relevant ministries and the Government to devise concrete and implementable strategies and action plans to ensure that resource allocation is spent prudently and is commensurate with learning and teaching outcomes, and effective services.
“The normalization of poor public services affecting the poor and vulnerable cannot be accepted, hence our call for action to improve the desperate conditions of the needy, poor, and socially and economically disadvantaged,” Nashenda said.
He reiterated that resources are mostly on personnel expenditure, adding that officials in their commitment to work and public service should render efficient and effective services to demonstrate value for the allocated financial resources.
“The personnel expenditure is not sustainable and possesses high risks for the future, hence our deep concern about the lack of concrete policy intervention and strategies in the Budget Statement to curtail personnel expenditure,” Nashenda said.
He also indicated that actions of the Government to address the personnel expenditure do not produce tangible results to reduce the costs.
“The size of both the Legislature and Executive in relation to the population should be reviewed and looked into as means to contain expenditure,’ he added.
He said Government debt is growing at a much faster pace, and that will have implications for the future of the country and future generations.
Nashenda stated that NCBC is also concerned about high unemployment rates and the correlation between unemployment and level of education.
“This situation is alarming and it really needs immediate attention from the government,” Nashenda stated.
He said if agriculture is properly planned and managed, it has the potential to employ many people.
The Church has since urged the Government to address the issue of corruption and embezzlement of public resources at all levels of Government and other institutions.
