If Dr Hage Geingob was our Moses, who is our Joshua?

As our late president Dr Hage Geingob's second term draws to a close under our caretaker, Hon. Dr Nangolo Mbumba, we should not forget Geingob's culture and tradition.

My view is as follows: Culture is an agenda. Tradition is a strategy.

By linking these two words with the late president's administration, his bold declaration that "nobody should feel left out" becomes his strategy, while the Harambee Prosperity Plan becomes his agenda. Therefore, I believe Dr Hage Geingob is one of a kind, and others can emulate him.

Nonetheless, by looking within and beyond the future of the Namibian House, which he, may his soul rest in peace, described as a house built with different bricks through the ideas or manifestos that the elite are now desperately campaigning to take over from him in the upcoming presidential elections, I am deeply worried by how the foundation of economic and social developments, or the little things that really matter to us, are being overlooked.

Remember, whoever wins the 2024 presidential election should be perceived as our modern biblical Joshua, who shall lead Namibians to the promised land of Vision 2030. You have guessed it right – our feelings – feelings that were seen by our late president; the feeling of being counted and loved, the feeling of freedom and equality, as well as the feeling of solidarity – I strongly believe these are the only paths to bring about positive developments and benefits for any nation.

Failures

Did you know that tens of thousands of Namibians are still systematically denied the right to have their national documents up-to-date? This is particularly prevalent among the Va Nyemba communities in our two Kavango regions. Consequently, many youth in these communities who have passed their grade 12 are now constrained from furthering their careers at our universities.

These children, together with their parents, also cannot qualify for any formal social benefits such as jobs. Did you know that the idea of the land distribution policy, "willing buyer and willing seller," isn't effective?

And, because of a lack of transparency among our leadership, some developmental initiatives, like the mass housing project, have failed in such a way that houses meant for the poor are now in the hands of the middle class, the rich or foreigners.

Lastly, did you know that for the past 34 years of our independence, our political parties across the nation are still tribal? That is to say, one can never win elections in Namibia without the help of biological family members. I wonder if you also feel this way, but these feelings and more are what keep me awake in my ghetto sometimes, as they pose both a threat and feelings of shame.

Leading Namibia forward

What I intend to establish is the value of our long-term dreams, one of which is Vision 2030, as well as who possesses the required and sufficient knowledge to lead Namibians there. For example, Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in South Africa, also has an idea that addresses people's feelings by saying, "2024 is our 1994."

This is yet another visionary declaration that may benchmark our seriousness in evaluating our national growth. The EFF is saying that what they have experienced under the rule of the African National Congress (ANC) is inadequate. Now is the time for them to deliver on what the nation has waited for for far too long. Similar to Dr Geingob's approach, such a stance is also not difficult for any normal human being to comprehend, I believe.

From my standpoint, there is absolutely nothing that is beyond our control now as a free and democratic state. Public failure to know for whom and why they must vote is a different matter. However, having a leader with a manifesto that doesn't address issues negatively affecting the public is another matter. But since it is a relay race, it will still be fair to take the baton from our late president.