EDITORIAL: The big, lofty promises

Bernadus Swartbooi yesterday asked President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah a simple, piercing question: What exactly are the priorities of the new administration?IPC’s Imms Nashinge followed suit, challenging the president to name just three concrete achievements we can expect by this time next year.It’s a fair ask. Most Namibians now hear government promises and instinctively roll their eyes. It’s not cynicism – it’s muscle memory. &#039;Pie in the sky&#039; has become the cherry on top of the national cake.Take, for example, the pledge to build 10 000 low-cost housing units every year. Ambitious? Certainly. But when last year’s total was a mere 1 514 units for the entire country, the latest promise sounds like a fantasy.Yes, Namibians want bold leadership. Yes, ambition should be encouraged. But ambition without realism is just theatrics. We don’t need a Netflix plot twist – we need homes with roofs.Then there’s the promise to start building six 10 000-seater sports stadiums, starting this year. For context, Katutura’s Sam Nujoma Stadium fits that description – and it didn’t exactly rise overnight. Now imagine six of those, across all corners of the country, in one go. On what budget, exactly?More pressing still: do we really need stadiums of that size in every region right now? When classrooms are overcrowded, clinics are under-equipped and roads are crumbling under the weight of promises unmet?This isn’t about killing hope. It’s about grounding it. Namibians are not allergic to vision – they’re allergic to déjà vu. Give them goals they can see, track and trust. Give them less glitter, more grit.Because in the end, it’s not just about what the government promises. It’s about what it actually builds – and whether anyone will still be around to live in it, cheer in it, or believe in it.

EDITORIAL: The big, lofty promises

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-01

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EDITORIAL: The big, lofty promises

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-01

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