Geingob defends travel, urges transparency

At the final cabinet meeting for the year, President Hage Geingob spoke about transparency and accountability and said that Namibians should “count their blessings” to be living in such a peaceful country.

Geingob yesterday referred to the current situation in Libya where close to 30 000 African migrants are reportedly being auctioned as slaves, saying he could not believe that slavery was still occurring.

“What are we becoming? We should appreciate the good governance that we are enjoying here and not take it for granted.”

He said in Namibia people could walk around freely and did not have to be afraid and flee to another country.

“We enjoy peace. People are running away from their countries. However, any country can at any time be put in a mess. Namibia is peaceful and peaceful is boring, but count your blessings for this.”

He added that Africa would always suffer if it was not an integrated continent. “Either we are part of Africa or we are not. Make up your minds.”

Geingob further said that although it had been a challenging year the government remained steadfast in its objectives.

He said it was important to improve both the efficiency and transparency of government.

“We have to look at processes, systems and institutions. If you focus on the individual, when they are gone, what happens then?

“From next year there has to be transparency and accountability in everything you do.”

Geingob also said the government's wage bill had to be reduced, but laying off people would only exacerbate the situation.

“The economic crisis has helped us look at how we are wasting money in government. A crisis will always provide a solution.”

He admitted that there were irregularities with government contracts, where some contractors were paid in advance for services not yet delivered, while others overcharged.

He also addressed complaints about his foreign trips, saying that it was his job to put Namibia on the map.

“Firstly, at my age I can afford my own trips and I will pay my own way. Do you think I enjoy travelling at my age? No, but I must do it,” he said. He insisted that if he felt like travelling he would prefer going to places that he enjoys.

“This is work. You cut a delegation from 40 to 16 people. You work like hell to go to meetings. You do not even stay in a hotel, all to put Namibia on the map. That 'Nambia' thing that happened put the country on the map. You meet with Trump, and I discovered that he has been in the country before and he told me it is a good country, his children have been here hunting.

“But still people say you are wasting money, but this is your job, to put the country on the map.”

Geingob further elaborated on some of the major policy initiatives considered and adopted by his cabinet during the year.

With regard to the revised national policy on human-wildlife conflict management, he said conflict between people and wildlife was of great concern.

“Shifeta, are you managing this conflict? Are you succeeding… because this is a big problem.”

He warned environment minister Pohamba Shifeta that if the conflict was not properly managed, he was not doing his job.

He added that many policy initiatives had been implemented addressing social progress. These included the Hunger Strategic Review Report. “We do not want any person to go to sleep hungry, but this is still happening.”

According to Geingob, 21 deliberative and 21 decision-making meetings were held since February 2017. That added up to 42 cabinet meetings, resulting in 240 cabinet decisions issued to offices, ministries and agencies for implementation.

“Our ability to work in unison, driven by the common purpose of developing our Namibian House, has been the driving force behind the successes we have achieved during the cabinet sessions of 2017,” he said.

ELLANIE SMIT