EDITORIAL: The cost of wasted time in a republic

In a republic, time is not a private commodity. It is a public asset. Every delayed decision, every postponed reform, every file that gathers dust in an office drawer is not merely an administrative inconvenience – it is a withdrawal from the national account. And unlike money, time cannot be replenished by the next budget cycle.

Namibia is a young republic. Our Constitution promised accountable governance, equal opportunity and a state that serves its citizens. But a republic does not run on promises. It runs on punctuality, discipline and consequence. When those fail, time becomes the first casualty.

Consider how much of our collective life is spent waiting. Waiting for land servicing. Waiting for court rolls to move. Waiting for procurement adjudication. 

For the unemployed graduate, a year of delay is not a statistic – it is a year of stalled independence. For a small business owner, a six-month approval backlog is not procedural; it is the difference between survival and closure. For an investor, uncertainty is capital redirected elsewhere.

In a republic, wasted time compounds inequality. The well-connected fast-track their processes. The rest stand in line. Delay becomes a privilege tax paid by those without influence.

We often measure governance in monetary terms – billions allocated, millions lost, deficits widened. Yet the deeper deficit may be temporal. How many opportunities have lapsed because decisions were deferred? How many jobs were never created because coordination faltered? How many reforms died in committees?

Time wasted in government does not remain confined to government. It spills into households. It shapes whether a parent can afford school fees. It determines whether a pensioner receives services reliably. It influences whether a young professional emigrates or stays.

A country either works, or it doesn’t. The rest is commentary.