THE VIEWS OF MTP TAAPOPI

I have felt great sadness of losing my father – my best friend once – when I was about only 10 years of age, no need to imagine the depression, devastation and anguish that once consumed me. Subsequent to that, I learned how to deal with death, to make sense of it and welcome it, with an understanding that death is an integral part of life for it has meaning; with an understanding that death is inevitable, for it is something I am not really emotional about anymore, because death is a phenomenon that will always be part of our sophisticated life cycle, of our ups and downs, of our rights and wrongs. However, what’s more disheartening is when old people die, African history because most of it is oral suffers a great loss with the death of each elder, “When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground” ; they die with such depth of wisdom and wealth of knowledge, which is seldom transferred to the young, through relevant communication and information platforms. For it can’t be cor...

There are self-imposed myths, limitations and serious contradictions in the UNAM management, and SRC that beg for an honest engagement and critical analysis. The student body’s potential to produce and nurture leaders of an astute intellectual and social caliber, is confined and reduced to false notions that novices that consumed university literature, popular for the wrong reasons, in favor with management, with an average academic record, and a sense of leadership experience qualifies a student to be SRC member. This is a fatal flaw and has set forth a bad precedence for the past, present and future SRC, and has thus devalued the body, rendering it ineffective and out of touch with the masses. The SRC lacks political orientation and consciousness, members are not held accountable, while the financial process is a bureaucracy that lacks transparency. The SRC Constitution is vague and begs for critical amendments, to reflect and respond to the needs, demands and characteristics of...

From a universal historical perspective, the SWAPO Party Youth League (SPYL) like any other political party youth wing was established to be autonomous and independently allied front of the mother party that is formed in order to rally support and allegiance for the organization's campaigns from younger and potential members. In addition youth wings were also expected to host discussion forums for younger members and supporters of the organization to debate policy and ideology.  The youth wing, ranking or leading members are often seen, as potential leaders of the main political party. This has led to a perception of political party youth wings as being mere gateways of employment opportunity in government   bureaucracy   for younger members. The SWAPO Party and all its additional wings are in possession of a variety of resources, tangible and non-tangible, with ideas for improving the country, with structures, leaders, members and financial resources and in kind. All ...

Foreign aid a tool of diplomacy, a noble cause that has done a lot of good, but giving and getting money can only feed the hungry and help the sick, it does not free people from institutions that make them hungry and sick. It does not free the poor from the system which deplete their opportunities and incentives, as aid can provide band-aid solutions to alleviate immediate suffering, but by its very nature cannot be the platform for long-term sustainable growth. The most disheartening fact is that government’s critical social programs still depend on foreign aid and international partnership, at a Health PPP Conference (2014), former President Pohamba admitted that, “…over the years, donor health financing has been declining, and this impacts both the funding levels and the technical ability to deliver quality, effective accessible health care services.”This is proof that the aid system encourages governments to pick up the phone and ask the donor agencies for next capital infusio...

Switzerland doesn’t have a President or Prime Minister acting as a Head of State nor a Head of Government. The country is managed by a seven-members Council which is considered as a collective Head of State. One member of the council is considered the President of the Confederation but he is just a primus inter pares , which means “first among equals” 7 members of the Federal Council. He/she acts in that role for 1 year, and the duty of presidency rotates among the members in order of seniority, then the previous year’s Vice President becomes President. The President of the Confederation is not considered the head of State; rather the entire Federal Council is considered a collective Head of State.  The President main role is to assume special representational duties. He has no powers above the other Councilors and continues to head his or her department. For not having any single Head of State, the country also carries out no state visits. When traveling abroad, the President...

Despite the citizen’s demands for better economic opportunities and better social welfare programs; amidst, high unemployment rate and neo-liberal capitalist economic policies; moreover, despite relentless and legitimate criticism from political scientist and analysts, there are theoretical and practical fundamental typologies that elucidate and justify why the poor, middle class, business sector and pensioners keep voting for the Swapo party. The Swapo party shares a rich history with the Namibian people, in that it’s acknowledged as the only previous national liberation movement and thus attributed to have engendered the end of colonialism and apartheid by having mobilised citizens to fearlessly, courageously fight with valour and bravery for political independence, the party’s stability depends upon these inheritance from the past. The ability to transcend social cleavages – economic, ethnic, religious and linguistic divisions in society – to be able to attract voters from diff...

Francis Bacon once asserted that, “Knowledge is Power”. This means power to impact change, live a decent life and earn a decent income, power that brings you respect and dignity. When knowledge can bestow the power for so many things, it should never be it restricted to a few who have the advantage of wealth, as is the case. Knowledge needs to be free for all those who deserve it, and what a person deserves should be decided by an individual’s capability, interest and intelligence, not by wealth. The best and simplest way to disseminate knowledge to all those who deserve it, is through free education. Education, a is very important tool; it prepares one for life, work and citizenship, and further helps produce independent thinkers, innovators, inventors and problem solvers.  As student activists, as once observed by Eve Ensler, we are not motivated by the need for money, power or fame, but driven by mad injustice, cruelty and unfairness towards to ourselves, our brothers and...