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Topic Discussion I
Politics of Hard Choices
Political Transition and Economic Restructuring
Room 2
(12 of 14 pages)
Larry Diamond: --- are nearly at the end of this session to offer some
reflections and comments on the various comments and interventions that have been made, so Prime Minister Geingob.
Hon. Hage Geingob: Thank you very much. The first thing I get from this is that we must first get our economic
fundamentals right, and also political fundamentals. If we talk about economic reform we must first have political
stability, we must have peace, the crime rate must be lower, and then we can invite the investors, local and foreign,
to come and invest.
We must have clear cut investment policies, which we have in a way. We have a law, and Mr. Aberdeen or someone
who was mentioning these things, and I would just like to add. We have a law guaranteeing that [inaudible] of profits,
arbitration didn't [inaudible] and so on, and we have independent judicial. Now, those things must be there certainly,
but can know the rules by which they are played. Then also owning up to responsibilities. We Africans sometimes
used to [inaudible] apartheid [inaudible] in our case, but time has come that Africans own up to their own weaknesses.
If we have wars, for instance, tribal wars and so on, after 30 years of independence, how do we go and blame somebody
else when innocent people are being killed, Africans, the Africans, and we go and blame somebody else. So we have
to own up somehow to our own weaknesses.
The same with the debt crisis. I know debt is a very difficult thing to talk about, but we must are suffering because
we refuse to take loans. It started as a joke actually, but we were just saying after [inaudible] if countries
are indebted, they just service in this debts, why? First because they took loans to sum up consumption, we are
trying to say we will take loans after we have decided what profitable projects they're going to finance with that
kind of loan. So again, it's loans, but we are saying don't just take loan for the sake of taking a loan and for
consumption, for instance, for societies. So we don't have foreign debt really [inaudible] we are feeling the pressure,
but we do have it. We are borrowing locally, from local institutions, [inaudible] only about two percent will be
foreign take, and it's very, very low. When the question of also [inaudible]. When they were making a joke in us,
if you are a sick and the doctor prescribe medicine for you, so if our economy is in bad shape and we go to the
World Bank and they will prescribe medicine for you, it is their only [inaudible] they are going to prescribe more,
but it's easier said of course. Some debts were incurred because of some dubious things, some [inaudible] debts
and so on. But so far World Bank doesn't touch us, they stay away from us because we don't have any debts with
them and they are [inaudible] still have to take loans, they are saying wait until we come to you.
Then briefly on the opposition parties, I would like to ask my brother from Malawi, I just want to share the views.
Two things, one from the government, I was in the opposition in Malawi and in the opposition parties. Before the
results were out, opposition was saying if we don't win, we are going to challenge the elections. If we don't win,
they're going to challenge. We'll win, even then we will challenge the elections. Then at integration I saw [inaudible]
men for the women party because they all [inaudible] yellow and in our case, I think when we have an opposition,
even those who are defeated must come and participate, but I saw a very [inaudible], maybe I'm wrong, but I got
the impression that only the women party who were participating in the inauguration, maybe I'm wrong. Now, in [inaudible]
the problem of making [inaudible] transparent, as I have done, and therefore not allow people to challenge the
outcome of elections because elections is not properly done, people are [inaudible] properly they will challenge.
But why is this African disease of challenging elections always. Now, I'm leader of my opposition, they are divided,
they are separated.
Well, I don't think we trying to come to [inaudible]. What we are doing is that we know that women are [inaudible],
during the [inaudible] and the participated in war,
So idea is to encourage them to participate. We are a part of this system, if you're part of this system you can
decide what percentage you can put as women. So we just did that to say they could be 100 percent, but I say at
least out of the party list 33 must be women. So it's not a question of totals or [inaudible] 60 percent women
could if they are -- but it cannot be 20 percent, so that way it is women are being put into positions of responsibility.
But after they organize themselves they can be 100 percent, which they can do very soon.
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