Politics

For Queen and Country

Reserving her Prerogative

Yesterday, the Parliament of the United Kingdom voted 522 MP’s to 13 to call a general election on 8 June 2017. This might seem quite strange to us, with a parliament with fixed terms — and in fact, it is a bit strange for…

The First Defense

The purpose of a constitution

Constitution Day is once again approaching, and as we marvel once again at its remarkable role in our sovereign, secular, democratic and unitary state that secures for us all justice, liberty, equality and fraternity, we…

Freedom to Listen

Every freedom imposes a duty

The past month has been quite a tumultuous one for the Namibian public. We’ve had mass demonstrations that rallied hundreds, even thousands of citizens, and we’ve had social outcry over the vicious attack and murder on some…

Fear and Loathing

Love Thy Neighbour

“Fear leads to anger. Angers leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” And while it might have been Yoda from Star Wars who said these words, over this weekend, we were treated to the horrific aftermath that it implies. With 50 dead, and 53…

Noblesse Oblige

Nobility has a duty

“Nobility Obliges.” Or that is how Noblesse Oblige translates directly from French. I’d first encountered the phrase when I went to study at the University of Stellenbosch, where it was the motto of my residence, Simonsberg. More formally…

In Budget Country

Namibia’s 2016/2017 Budget

In 1710, the United Kingdom was in financial difficulty. The Kingdom was involved in two wars and the government’s finances were in shambles. To raise money, parliament first instituted a national lottery, but when they had…

To Constitute A Nation

How a constitution shapes a country

With Constitution Day just behind us, it is perhaps time that we examine the features of the document that not only defines our country and its government, but has come to define us as the individuals we…

How Freedom Dies

Choosing Security before Freedom

Originally published in the Informanté newspaper on Thursday, August 6, 2015.

Since the start of his Presidency, President Hage Geingob has been an unceasing campaigner for a more transparent…