President Hage Geingob has taken a dig at Cabinet ministers and senior government officials who ‘sleep’ on public information under the pretext of national security or to solicit bribes.
The president said this cannot continue as it hampers the government’s efforts to secure investment or deliver services.
Geingob said this during the opening of the two-day 2022 Cabinet retreat on Friday in the capital.
The event saw ministers, deputy ministers, executive directors and regional governors converge under one roof.
They are assessing how the government has fared in executing its mandate over the past 12 months, promoting a common understanding with the aim of avoiding duplications.
According to the Head of State, he has observed a culture of “sleeping on things” by some officials.
During his recent visit to the United Arab Emirates, Geingob said, he was shocked to learn that some investment opportunities presented to his delegation were already tabled to Namibian officials in 2014.
In a year christened as that of ‘Reimaging’, the status cannot remain.
“Don’t sleep on things. If you are not corrupt, you are not corrupt. But just say yes or no [to the investor]. You’re wasting people’s money [by not responding],” Geingob said.
Over the years, Geingob has maintained that there is no systemic or endemic corruption in Namibia.
He reiterated this, saying some officials either fail to reply to investors or locals because they are scared of “corruption”, while others simply leave queries to collect dust in their cabinets, even for issues that take less than two hours to complete.
He also called on public servants to be innovative, cost-effective and avoid working in silos.
“We have been placed here to serve the interests of the people and therefore we must ensure that meeting the needs of the people should be our first, last and only priority,” he said.
This strategic review will examine the progress made with the implementation of the Harambee Prosperity Plan II, with identified focus areas on enabling policy and legislative frameworks and strategic programmes that “will unlock opportunities to accelerate Namibia’s economic recovery and growth”.
Overall, Geingob expressed confidence in the executive’s performance under difficult circumstances.
Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila is expected to give an overview on productivity in the public service while Finance Minister Iipumbu Shiimi will lay bare the state of the country’s purse in his presentation.
“No matter what, we must deliver on public goods because we have been entrusted with the responsibility of fighting poverty, unemployment, as well as restoring our economic trajectory to yield more inclusive growth and shared prosperity,” Geingob said.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency