Namibia needs leaders who serve, not rule

While we can appreciate the "no business as usual" tone of the eighth administration and the hands-on style of the president and some in the executive, Namibia still desperately needs more selfless leaders in both public institutions and state-owned enterprises.

The hell and heaven parable

I recently heard a powerful parable during a church service that perfectly illustrates Namibia's current situation. A man who had died was taken on a journey to both hell and heaven.

First, he was shown hell. It was a beautifully decorated room with tables overflowing with delicious food. Yet, the people sitting there were thin, miserable, and angry. He then went to heaven, where he found the same setup: a room with tables full of food. The people in heaven, however, were happy and well-fed.

He soon discovered the reason for the stark contrast. In both places, the people had to eat with very long forks, which made it impossible for them to feed themselves. The people in hell were starving because they only tried to feed themselves, but the people in heaven were able to eat because they fed each other across the table.

The moral is clear: in hell, people are selfish and only think about themselves, which is a form of corruption.

In heaven, people care for one another and help each other. The priest concluded by suggesting that this self-centeredness is the reason why so many people live in poverty, while a few become rich.

This parable reflects what's happening in Namibia today. Despite our abundant natural resources, only a select few are enjoying them, while the majority face unemployment, poverty, poor services, a lack of basic healthcare, and inadequate infrastructure. We have recently uncovered scandals like the "fish rot" and "fuel rot," while others, like "tender rot and nepotism rot," remain hidden.

This fuels the belief that our nation is like the people in the parable of hell, where a chosen few only think about their own stomachs.

The new leadership

If Namibia is to break free from this cycle of suffering, the country truly needs a new kind of leadership built on a foundation of the following core principles.

Firstly, leadership that prioritises action over rhetoric, ensuring leaders are judged by their tangible results and measurable change, not just their promises.

Secondly, a leadership which enforces accountability, not impunity, where everyone is subject to the same laws without exception, and corruption is never left unpunished.

Furthermore, it must be rooted in public service, not self-service, treating public office as a sacred trust to uplift the people and regarding corruption as nothing less than an act of treason against them.

Finally, it must champion unity over division, consciously rising above tribalism, nepotism, and partisan politics, to ensure that the essential pillars of justice, healthcare, and education are distributed fairly to every citizen.

The patience of the Namibian people is not infinite. We watch with growing frustration as our leaders and the elite live opulent lifestyles, their children attending expensive schools at home and abroad, while the children of people with low incomes go hungry. We see them jetting off to foreign hospitals for the best medical care while our local clinics lack even the most basic supplies. We endure their empty slogans while our collective future is auctioned off to the highest bidder.

Enough is truly enough.

True liberation isn't just about the absence of colonial flags. It's about the tangible presence of dignity, the ubiquitous availability of opportunity, and the unwavering assurance of justice for every single citizen, regardless of their background. It’s about leaders who understand that power is a temporary loan from the people, a trust that must be repaid with real, sustainable progress.

Namibia, a nation so recently freed from the shackles of apartheid, desperately needs this kind of selfless leadership. This isn't a call for a specific person, but a fervent demand for action-driven leadership that will dismantle the structures of internal colonisation that still plague our nation.

The urgent question now is: Who among our current leaders will rise to this monumental challenge? And if no one is willing to answer the call, then the more profound question becomes: When will the people, in their collective wisdom and righteous indignation, rise and demand it?

The time for true liberation, for dignity and prosperity for all, is now.

*Faustinus Shikukutu is a teacher by experience and a resident of the Kavango East region. All views expressed in this piece are my own.