We've sold our souls to China
It is quite worrying that Swapo parliamentarians voted against the motion proposed to debate the Chinese monopoly in the local construction industry.
The motion was introduced by the United People's Movement (UPM) in the light of allegations that some Chinese-owned companies are exploiting Namibian workers and are sometimes not complying with local labour laws.
The Swapo MPs refusal to entertain such a debate is not surprising. Our politicians simply don't have the guts to stand up to China for very obvious reasons.
It is true that our country's relationship with China started way back during Namibia's liberation struggle.
After independence the Chinese never shied away from providing us with soft loans.
They have, in turn, been rewarded with huge tenders from government and this is a trend that still continues to this day.
It is also a well-documented fact that Beijing has come up with another cost-effective way of cementing its relationships with our leaders, that of extending scholarships to the children of the political elite to study at universities in China.
The fact that Swapo MPs refused to entertain such a debate confirms the long-standing assertion that our nation is captured by the Chinese and the time to speak out is now.
We have seen labour unions taking on Chinese employers in this country for flouting local rules and regulations, leading at times to poor safety at the workplace.
Despite building local infrastructure, the Chinese are often accused of not transferring skills to local communities.
They have also been awarded huge tenders by government, without really adding any value to the local economy as they continue to import labour and equipment.
It is shocking that politicians don't think that putting the Chinese in the spotlight is the right way to have a mature debate in order to reflect on the public interest in this matter.
Parliamentarians are there to represent the electorate and should learn to put their self-interests aside.
This is unpatriotic and clearly a slap in the face of those who voted these politicians into power.
We have sadly sold our souls to China.
The motion was introduced by the United People's Movement (UPM) in the light of allegations that some Chinese-owned companies are exploiting Namibian workers and are sometimes not complying with local labour laws.
The Swapo MPs refusal to entertain such a debate is not surprising. Our politicians simply don't have the guts to stand up to China for very obvious reasons.
It is true that our country's relationship with China started way back during Namibia's liberation struggle.
After independence the Chinese never shied away from providing us with soft loans.
They have, in turn, been rewarded with huge tenders from government and this is a trend that still continues to this day.
It is also a well-documented fact that Beijing has come up with another cost-effective way of cementing its relationships with our leaders, that of extending scholarships to the children of the political elite to study at universities in China.
The fact that Swapo MPs refused to entertain such a debate confirms the long-standing assertion that our nation is captured by the Chinese and the time to speak out is now.
We have seen labour unions taking on Chinese employers in this country for flouting local rules and regulations, leading at times to poor safety at the workplace.
Despite building local infrastructure, the Chinese are often accused of not transferring skills to local communities.
They have also been awarded huge tenders by government, without really adding any value to the local economy as they continue to import labour and equipment.
It is shocking that politicians don't think that putting the Chinese in the spotlight is the right way to have a mature debate in order to reflect on the public interest in this matter.
Parliamentarians are there to represent the electorate and should learn to put their self-interests aside.
This is unpatriotic and clearly a slap in the face of those who voted these politicians into power.
We have sadly sold our souls to China.
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