EDITORIAL: Let go of the entitlement

The ongoing battle between Paragon and Menzies is another sign of how multinationals have developed an entitlement syndrome in Namibia.

Despite Paragon having legally been awarded the tender to provide ground-handling services at the Hosea Kutako International Airport, Menzies - which is the current ground-handler - is refusing to let go.

Whether this is an act of entitlement or a genuine attempt to challenge what it claims was a flawed process that led to Paragon being awarded the tender, only time will tell.

The recent surge in court challenges relating to public procurement should also raise alarms about the effectiveness of our procurement system within the public sector.

Why is it that more and more tender awards are being challenged in court? While we appreciate that everyone has the right to seek recourse in court when they feel disgruntled, perhaps it is time we take a step back and conduct a holistic probe on the procurement system.

We cannot sit back and watch as the country’s public administration sinks to worrying levels, so much so that it is effectively being managed in courts instead of government offices.

We thought the establishment of the Central Procurement Board of Namibia would alleviate the many court challenges when it comes to tenders, but what we got is the opposite.

The Menzies-Paragon saga teaches us two lessons: One is that multinationals have become so comfortable and entitled that they want to dictate how our government must run, and two is that our public procurement system is seemingly too ambiguous when it comes to decision-making.