Government

The climate of inconsistency

The state of emergency remains and the lockdown is not supposed to end until midnight May 4th. But, it is getting harder to tell that this is a time of world and national medical crisis from the increase in public movement on the streets. As usual in Namibia, the climate of inconsistency strikes again. With an infectious disease at stake, one wonders if people believe that stupidity is a contamination suit against germs. Everyone is passionate and burning with enthusiasm when programs begin, but as time passes, urgency is the first casualty. This is not only a Namibian 'thing'. It…
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Government must not over-promise

…credibility is legal tender in an emergency Government must stop over-promising and under-delivering. People are taking the government at its word. They are cheering for the great pronouncements about support for the people in this new Covid-19 world. Then, the promises can’t stand the light of day in terms of implementation. It is glaringly apparent that announcements of bailout packages were intentions and not programs. A drowning person desperately grabs for anything that looks like a lifeline, even if it is not. Those offering possibilities, therefore, must be very careful that what they throw out there is the real deal.…
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Govt ponders Air Namibia, NWR, NAC bailout

Govt ponders Air Namibia, NWR, NAC bailout

Staff Writer Government, through the Ministry of Finance is considering a proposal from the Ministry of Public Enterprises to come to the aid of three parastatals which have had their operations severely affected by the global coronavirus outbreak. The three, Air Namibia, Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) and Namibia Airports Company (NAC), are said to be in need of funding to meet their monthly wage bills, amounts expected to run into millions. This comes as Air Namibia is currently not generating any income after grounding its fleet, while NAC which generates revenues by managing the country’s airports has been forced to…
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The Time Traveler: The silver lining in the corona sky

Hugh Ellis I may have to ‘eat my words’ slightly this week. I had said that the global 2019 Corona Virus Disease (or Covid-19 for short) pandemic was not likely to be a big deal for Namibia. Obviously, with schools on semi-lockdown and international flights suspended, this is not the case. It is important we keep a sense of perspective, however. We may even find that in the long term, a lot of good may come out of the disruption and shock this crisis has caused. At the time of writing this column, no-one has died of Covid-19 in Namibia.…
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