Anderkant die 'stadsaal'
Verlede week het president Hage Geingob en sy kabinet se landwye reeks stadsaalvergaderings in die hoofstad ten einde geloop.
Geingob het die inisiatief in 2015 begin. As 'n gestruktureerde plan om direkte, demokratiese inspraak aan gewone Namibiërs te gee, verdien die konsep krediet. Opvolgbesoeke kon reeds vroeër plaasgevind het.
In 'n verkiesingsjaar hoef 'n mens nie met die helm gebore te wees om te kon voorspel dat die opposisie en kritici die besoeke as 'n bedekte verkiesingsveldtog, gefinansier met belastinggeld, sou afmaak nie. Partypolitieke uitsprake soos dié oor die voormalige DTA het in die groepe se hande gespeel.
Nie dat die PDM se dreigement om die staatshoof in 'n staat van beskuldiging te plaas Swapo enigsins laat ril nie. Die regerende party se oormag maak so 'n stap, buiten vir onvaste gronde daarvoor, suiwer akademies.
In die politiek, en vir gewone burgers, is die vraag of die besoeke regte verskille in lewens gemaak het, of nog gaan maak. Inspraak kan nie 'n doel opsigself wees om maar net nuwe, mooi broodjies te bak terwyl die deeg nog nie eens in die panne is nie.
Hoewel Geingob se blitsbesoek aan Baumgartsbrunn nie deel van die stadsaalbyeenkomste was nie, moet 'n mens simpatie hê met inwoners se teleurstelling dat hulle nie 'n spreekbeurt gegun is nie.
Met geen party wat nog 'n manifes vrygestel het nie, moet Namibiërs minder as vier maande voor stemdag bekommerd oor ons politiek wees. Veel meer as anti-regeringsretoriek is nodig om stemme te wen.
So sê ander
18 Augustus 2019
China's reaction to pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong
In Hong Kong, China's leaders are confronted by an old truth, familiar to more securely established governments, that with power comes responsibility.
There is no doubt Beijing has the brute strength to crush pro-democracy protests in Britain's former colony. Equally, there is no doubt it would be irresponsible and self-defeating to do so.
China's intensifying propaganda offensive is apparently intended to pre-emptively convince a watching world that any action it may take to quell the unrest would be justified. Maybe it hopes to convince itself, too.
Perhaps for this latter reason, a fake narrative has been confected, intended to mislead public opinion. It is claimed, falsely, that the demonstrators are a violent, subversive minority, that they are “terrorists” and that they take orders from foreign “black hands”, meaning the US, Britain and Taiwan. These are the chimeras of a paranoid state.
The stakes are indeed high. In question now, by some estimates, is the authority of China's president for life, Xi Jinping.
This problem is of China's own making – and it is China's to resolve.
China must overcome its fears. The only sensible, mature way forward is to forswear the use of force, stop shouting and begin an open-ended, unconditional dialogue with its critics. It's what strong, responsible leaders do.
• THE OBSERVER
Geingob het die inisiatief in 2015 begin. As 'n gestruktureerde plan om direkte, demokratiese inspraak aan gewone Namibiërs te gee, verdien die konsep krediet. Opvolgbesoeke kon reeds vroeër plaasgevind het.
In 'n verkiesingsjaar hoef 'n mens nie met die helm gebore te wees om te kon voorspel dat die opposisie en kritici die besoeke as 'n bedekte verkiesingsveldtog, gefinansier met belastinggeld, sou afmaak nie. Partypolitieke uitsprake soos dié oor die voormalige DTA het in die groepe se hande gespeel.
Nie dat die PDM se dreigement om die staatshoof in 'n staat van beskuldiging te plaas Swapo enigsins laat ril nie. Die regerende party se oormag maak so 'n stap, buiten vir onvaste gronde daarvoor, suiwer akademies.
In die politiek, en vir gewone burgers, is die vraag of die besoeke regte verskille in lewens gemaak het, of nog gaan maak. Inspraak kan nie 'n doel opsigself wees om maar net nuwe, mooi broodjies te bak terwyl die deeg nog nie eens in die panne is nie.
Hoewel Geingob se blitsbesoek aan Baumgartsbrunn nie deel van die stadsaalbyeenkomste was nie, moet 'n mens simpatie hê met inwoners se teleurstelling dat hulle nie 'n spreekbeurt gegun is nie.
Met geen party wat nog 'n manifes vrygestel het nie, moet Namibiërs minder as vier maande voor stemdag bekommerd oor ons politiek wees. Veel meer as anti-regeringsretoriek is nodig om stemme te wen.
So sê ander
18 Augustus 2019
China's reaction to pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong
In Hong Kong, China's leaders are confronted by an old truth, familiar to more securely established governments, that with power comes responsibility.
There is no doubt Beijing has the brute strength to crush pro-democracy protests in Britain's former colony. Equally, there is no doubt it would be irresponsible and self-defeating to do so.
China's intensifying propaganda offensive is apparently intended to pre-emptively convince a watching world that any action it may take to quell the unrest would be justified. Maybe it hopes to convince itself, too.
Perhaps for this latter reason, a fake narrative has been confected, intended to mislead public opinion. It is claimed, falsely, that the demonstrators are a violent, subversive minority, that they are “terrorists” and that they take orders from foreign “black hands”, meaning the US, Britain and Taiwan. These are the chimeras of a paranoid state.
The stakes are indeed high. In question now, by some estimates, is the authority of China's president for life, Xi Jinping.
This problem is of China's own making – and it is China's to resolve.
China must overcome its fears. The only sensible, mature way forward is to forswear the use of force, stop shouting and begin an open-ended, unconditional dialogue with its critics. It's what strong, responsible leaders do.
• THE OBSERVER
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