Strike: Who dropped the ball?

By now, it is clear that the civil servants will go on strike. Most voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike. After seven years without a salary increase, it is astonishing that there are some in government who thought there was really a choice. It would seem that the political leadership still believes that old rhetoric actually works. President Hage Geingob recently received a diplomat at the State House and used the occasion to make comments on the demands of civil servants. He made an attempt to tell them that as they demand a salary increase, they must think of those who are not employed. This is not the first time Geingob makes such a statement.He and others have been in government since our country gained independence. As they cling on to those government jobs for 32 years and still fight to remain in office in their 70s and 80s, have they ever thought of those who never got a government job over the past 32 years? If Geingob has not realised, it is these statements that infuriate many. It would seem that to the president and others, political leaders have a divine right to rule - as it was believed of kings during the medieval era.Geingob’s agriculture minister Calle Schlettwein attempted to guilt trip civil servants, taking to his social media to write: “The ‘Namibian Way’ of solving differences is no more the norm. A long partnership between workers, government and Swapo is on the rocks. Society at large will have to pay for the immense collateral damage. The hardest hit shall be the children because their future is at stake”.Toivo Ndjebela, the editor of Namibian Sun, did not leave the minister unattended. He countered: “Oom Kalli, the &#039;Namibian Way&#039; is empty sentimentalism. People can&#039;t feed their children or fuel their cars with this washed-out sloganeering. There was a time we could simply sing away our sorrows and wipe our tears with political flags. I&#039;m afraid those days are gone”.Both Geingob and Schlettwein believe and argue that civil servants must be grateful for the jobs they have. Who is doing civil servants a favour? How about those civil servants who studied hard, entered university and passed to qualify for the jobs they have?Some parents sold cattle to get their children through university. What does it mean that they must be grateful? Are they unqualified? Did they get these jobs because of the mercy of someone?It is clear that 68-year-old Schlettwein and Geingob, who turns 81 tomorrow, live in a different world. Did civil servants appoint double deputy ministers? Did they create many ministries? Did they create a vice-president position? Did they increase parliamentary seats from 72 to 104?Who created two cabinets; one with ministers and the other with advisors? As they were creating these positions for friends, did they think about the unemployed?Lou Holtz is indeed correct in that "the man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely the one who dropped it".How is it possible that government did not anticipate this? Did the state believe civil servants would spend another seven years without a salary increase just because there are other Namibians who are unemployed? Has it not occurred to government officials that failing to plan is planning to fail?The director general of the National Planning Commission, Obeth Kandjoze, recently announced that Cabinet makes decisions based on outdated data. Could it be the case that Cabinet still looks at the matter of civil servant salaries with 2015 lenses?It will be interesting to see how government will respond to the demands of civil servants. It is shocking that no one in the ruling party was able to pick up this matter as potential salt to the wound. When you think of how the party’s think tank is kept busy with when the headquarters should be inaugurated, it becomes easy to understand how this escaped their imagination. How exactly are we going to get out of this quagmire? Have we reached the stage William Butler Yeats intimated when he observed “turning and turning in the widening gyre. The falcon cannot hear the falconer; things fall apart; the centre cannot hold”. It is clear who dropped the ball!*Muthoni waKongola is a native of Kongola in the Zambezi Region primarily concerned with analysing society and offering ideas for a better Namibia. She is reachable at wakongola@gmail.com or @wakongola on Twitter.

Strike: Who dropped the ball?

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Harry Tjihukununa 2 Year Ago 02 August 2022

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Strike: Who dropped the ball?

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Harry Tjihukununa 2 Year Ago 02 August 2022

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