Another uninspiring SONA
President Hage Geingob’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) yesterday was as empty as the state coffers. Off the script, he offered better soundbites to write home about.
Granted, Geingob does not write his speeches himself. Someone does it for him and they are doing a shoddy job, or unless the true state of the nation is truly so bad that there’s nothing the speechwriters can ink down.
The president’s prepared speeches, even beyond Sona, have become predictable regurgitations. One could literally take a speech from 10 months ago and compare it to yesterday’s and they would find similar lines – almost verbatim.
For example, why are we repeatedly subjected to quotes from economist Joseph Stiglitz as if he is the alpha and omega to all our problems? Yawn!
Sona ought to inspire hope and aspirations for the future. Yesterday’s one didn’t do that. If anything, it shone light in the dark undercurrents of our economy and the trouble brewing under our feet.
To his credit, President Geingob was pretty articulate on some things that he addressed off-the-cuff. His attempts to show evidence of how he is combating corruption, as cosmetic as they were, showed signs of a man trying to take the bull by the horn.
Unfortunately, Geingob doesn’t come across as a decisive man who is prepared to raffle feathers and hurt feelings where inevitable. He wants to remain a gentleman politician – the very breed that has consistently let nations down with indecisiveness.
Granted, Geingob does not write his speeches himself. Someone does it for him and they are doing a shoddy job, or unless the true state of the nation is truly so bad that there’s nothing the speechwriters can ink down.
The president’s prepared speeches, even beyond Sona, have become predictable regurgitations. One could literally take a speech from 10 months ago and compare it to yesterday’s and they would find similar lines – almost verbatim.
For example, why are we repeatedly subjected to quotes from economist Joseph Stiglitz as if he is the alpha and omega to all our problems? Yawn!
Sona ought to inspire hope and aspirations for the future. Yesterday’s one didn’t do that. If anything, it shone light in the dark undercurrents of our economy and the trouble brewing under our feet.
To his credit, President Geingob was pretty articulate on some things that he addressed off-the-cuff. His attempts to show evidence of how he is combating corruption, as cosmetic as they were, showed signs of a man trying to take the bull by the horn.
Unfortunately, Geingob doesn’t come across as a decisive man who is prepared to raffle feathers and hurt feelings where inevitable. He wants to remain a gentleman politician – the very breed that has consistently let nations down with indecisiveness.
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