EDITORIAL: Our politicians won’t stop at anything
Can politicians be saved from their own greed? The scandalous manner in which they inserted themselves and their relatives into ReconAfrica’s car-leasing scheme in the two Kavango regions is the latest in the series of their greed episodes.
And, rather suspiciously, Recon allowed it.
There are two fundamental problems to this. First, the scheme is robbed of the element of genuine empowerment, if that was ever its intention. Empowerment, in its elementary meaning, implies giving people the necessary tools to succeed and crawl out of their socio-economic morasses.
But typically, politicians like their bread buttered on both sides. They will trample on anyone on their way to the table where resources meant for the less fortunate are served. No shame in their game.
Leaders eat last, but in Namibia, it’s the other way around. The two Kavango regions where Recon operates are wallowing in poverty, thanks in part to political incompetence, and the company should have thus prioritised the ordinary folk.
Second, the scheme robs government of taxes. While we believe Recon’s decision to ditch car rental companies to use local vehicles was good in principle, it remains a futile excise if the beneficiaries are well-connected, well-off individuals who should actually pay taxes.
Monied politicians not paying a cent in taxes, which could have gone to state coffers and return to Kavango in the form of government services, is scandalous. Final score: Kavango politicians 5, ordinary residents 0.
And, rather suspiciously, Recon allowed it.
There are two fundamental problems to this. First, the scheme is robbed of the element of genuine empowerment, if that was ever its intention. Empowerment, in its elementary meaning, implies giving people the necessary tools to succeed and crawl out of their socio-economic morasses.
But typically, politicians like their bread buttered on both sides. They will trample on anyone on their way to the table where resources meant for the less fortunate are served. No shame in their game.
Leaders eat last, but in Namibia, it’s the other way around. The two Kavango regions where Recon operates are wallowing in poverty, thanks in part to political incompetence, and the company should have thus prioritised the ordinary folk.
Second, the scheme robs government of taxes. While we believe Recon’s decision to ditch car rental companies to use local vehicles was good in principle, it remains a futile excise if the beneficiaries are well-connected, well-off individuals who should actually pay taxes.
Monied politicians not paying a cent in taxes, which could have gone to state coffers and return to Kavango in the form of government services, is scandalous. Final score: Kavango politicians 5, ordinary residents 0.
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