Society-Namibia - It has been 21 years since we became an independent nation. It was on March 21 1990 when we made our debut on the world political map as an independent and sovereign state in international relations parlance and this should be the time to celebrate our hard-won independence. So let's all join in the celebrations as one people knowing that we are now masters of our own destiny - we can either make or break. And as we celebrate we should also remember the heroic deeds of those who went before us to get rid of colonialism. But as we celebrate our 21st birthday of nationhood we should also take time to reflect, take stock and ask ourselves the hard questions of where we have gone wrong as a nation.

Are we making progress towards achieving a developed-country status by 2030? This is also an opportune moment for President Pohamba as the 'Captain of the ship' to do a bit of soul-searching, reflection and self-retrospection because it has not always been the 'best of times' in view of the contradictory nature of our political, social and economic reality on the ground. We seem to be living in a Dickensian world.

Like the Biblical Moses, President Pohamba should decide where he wants to take his loyal folk to from here, knowing very well that he is now in his last term of office as the President of the country. He must thus leave a lasting mark on the history of this country otherwise people would remember him as a 'lame-duck' President. Thus if he fails to utilise this opportunity now, posterity would judge him harshly indeed. But for the President to succeed, he needs the support of his 'foot-soldiers and commanders' - all the way from the Prime Minister's Office down the political hierarchy. He also needs to engage other Namibians who might not necessarily be Swapo cadres. This is one way of building a more inclusive society.

We must also remember that political independence is not a destination but a journey - it is a means, not an end. And we must make sure that every day we traverse a step or two of that long journey. So it is not enough to say we attained our independence and we have managed to keep the country together politically speaking, that is. Because there all sorts of fault-lines developing in our society - issues of tribe, exclusion and class that need to be confronted by all of us. And I have always maintained that what would eventually tear this country apart is tribalism and class conflict, not racism as it is now being trumpeted after the Sorensen-Amunyela fracas.

In my view, some of the most crucial issues that need our attention as we are celebrating this year's anniversary, are systemic and rampant corruption, tribalism/racism, regionalism, distributive justice, political plurality, cutting on wastage by putting a cap on unnecessary foreign travel by government officials, among others. The inefficiency of our judicial system must also seriously be addressed. On the latter, I have in mind here the Caprivi secessionist trial that has totally lost direction. And also the inability of the judicial system to bring those involved in systemic corruption to book.

What is needed now is paradigm shift not only on the political front but more importantly on the economic one. We know, for example, that the whole idea of black economic empowerment (enrichment!) didn't work and is not going to work in its present form, shape, conceptualisation and implementation. In fact, BEE has been the source of all the scandalous deals that have been going on at the GIPF and at other entities and also in our mining, fishing and tourism sectors. One just hopes that with this so-called expansionary budget that was tabled recently in Parliament, the Government will take a hard look at things and make sure that the money benefits all Namibians and not just the BEE clique and associates who I'm sure are already lining up for tenders for the public work programmes that the regime will outsource to private contractors.

And as we try to come to terms with many of the existential issues that faces our society and country; we should also make sure that we leave the country in good shape for the next generation. And that's why an intra and inter-generational dialogues are so crucial as we march on to the 'promised land'. There is a tendency in this country for some people, even in higher places, to politicize almost everything. What is needed now is a non-partisan and consensus-based politics. That is the hall-mark of successful societies. This is the approach that we have to follow if we are to emerge as a people who are politically, socially and economically united. Every celebration of our independence should provide us with a window of opportunity to look backward in order to move forward.

Alexactus T Kaure

The Namibian/18/03/2011