Learning to self-regulate
hile vulgar and entirely unacceptable, the scenes that greeted residents and clean-up crews on New Year's Day along the country coastline, were not unexpected. These scenes play out year after year and are becoming increasingly spread out as more and more people flock to the beaches and sand dunes to spend New Year's Eve.
On 1 January, motorists were warned to drive with caution between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay as several, still drunk, pedestrians were making their way home by foot, to either of the two towns.
Over-indulgence and a lack of general respect are common in Namibia and signify a very disturbing trend that we are unable to self-regulate.
This means, in essence, we are like children. Namibians cannot self-regulate when they use the country's roads – this much we have seen reflected in the excessively high accident and injury and death rate. Namibians speed and overtake as though there is no tomorrow.
Namibians cannot self-regulate when given the option to be honest. Our levels of corruption are through the roof and there is nary a day when a bribe is declined. We are simply unable to say no to scoring a few bucks at the expense of our fellow countrymen or our natural resources.
Namibians cannot self-regulate when it comes to alcohol consumption. We will drink ourselves into a stupor and then proceed to rob from whomever stands in our way or has something we want, or, we will rape and beat with reckless abandon, as though it were our right to violate women and children in such an abhorrent way.
We do not care about tomorrow. We do not care about leaving our trash behind because we either do not know the threat that plastics hold to the world's oceans, or we do not care. Our very future is threatened by this, in particular that of Namibia which relies so heavily on our fishing industry, but, we do not care.
Hell, it is New Year's and we have a few bucks in our pocket. Let's behave like hooligans so we can tell everyone how drunk we were and what a wonderful time we had, although we cannot remember anything.
We need to learn to self-regulate in this country.
On 1 January, motorists were warned to drive with caution between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay as several, still drunk, pedestrians were making their way home by foot, to either of the two towns.
Over-indulgence and a lack of general respect are common in Namibia and signify a very disturbing trend that we are unable to self-regulate.
This means, in essence, we are like children. Namibians cannot self-regulate when they use the country's roads – this much we have seen reflected in the excessively high accident and injury and death rate. Namibians speed and overtake as though there is no tomorrow.
Namibians cannot self-regulate when given the option to be honest. Our levels of corruption are through the roof and there is nary a day when a bribe is declined. We are simply unable to say no to scoring a few bucks at the expense of our fellow countrymen or our natural resources.
Namibians cannot self-regulate when it comes to alcohol consumption. We will drink ourselves into a stupor and then proceed to rob from whomever stands in our way or has something we want, or, we will rape and beat with reckless abandon, as though it were our right to violate women and children in such an abhorrent way.
We do not care about tomorrow. We do not care about leaving our trash behind because we either do not know the threat that plastics hold to the world's oceans, or we do not care. Our very future is threatened by this, in particular that of Namibia which relies so heavily on our fishing industry, but, we do not care.
Hell, it is New Year's and we have a few bucks in our pocket. Let's behave like hooligans so we can tell everyone how drunk we were and what a wonderful time we had, although we cannot remember anything.
We need to learn to self-regulate in this country.
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Namibian Sun
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