Author: Christo Bauleth Pinto Student number: 201072130 Due date: 5 August 2011 Group: 1 Full-time
Poverty in Namibia: Is corruption an amplifier?
INTRODUCTOIN
Poverty is a state of one who is incapable of sustaining him/her self due to the unavailability of money. This causes a state of destitution where one is unable to provide clean water, medical care, education and proper nutrition for themselves. The main cause of this state can be traced back to an unfair distribution of resources and income within a country, constrictions on state services such as corruption and government debt.
More often than not, we hear and read about new technological developments as well as modernization to traditional methods such as farming to name one that are aimed at curbing the increase in the rate of poverty. Improvements are made to the composition of artificial fertilisers in order to increase the production yield of plants, equipment is built which provides for efficient methods of cultivation as well as cost effective irrigation systems. Of cause the aims of such projects are usually met, but only to a small scale. Yes, plant productivity is increased efficiently which means the price of food in shops is cut down and people can buy more for less, but then again it is only those that have no problem in acquiring sufficient funds to pay for. What then happens to the select few that cannot afford the new and improved fertiliser? What then happens to those whose disposable income is still too little to buy food, pay for electricity, pay for water as well as send the children to school? The very machines created for faster and low risk production become substitutes for human labour and more and more factory workers are retrenched. One wonders if a method will ever be found that benefits both parties at the same time.
The government tries to execute strategies that allow for accessibility and affordability of basic needs such as the increase in income, government grants, provision of financial services and free food to those in dire circumstances. If more government officials where committed the cause then maybe these methods would be very effective. Instead, we have millions of dollars vanishing from state companies and the culprits are either never implicated or they get minimum sentences for their crimes because of the positions that they hold in the government. Millions of dollars are spent on providing government officials with fancy cars, the very people that earn a monthly salary enough to buy their own cars. In the papers we read about state scholarships being given to minister’s children while intelligent kids that are financially deprived yet have impressive grade 12 certificates are sitting at home waiting buy some miracle to get a government loan in order to further their studies. If more government funds were allocated to educating those that are in a state of indigence rather than squandered on superficial material things for those that can afford their own, a huge difference would be made in our country.
MY CONCLUSION
"The poverty of the poor is their ruin," says the Book of Proverbs. I understand this to mean that for as long as one is born in poverty, they too will be poor, and the generations that follow. It is up to those that can to help out those who can’t. One man’s action is a stepping stone to getting to the summit, and the more hands that help, the faster the climb will be. If there was no corruption in Namibia and more emphasis was focused on eradicating poverty, the rich will get richer but the poor will be armed with necessary skills of bettering themselves and hope for a better and brighter tomorrow.
References
1. Founou-Tchuigoua, Bernard ( 10, 2006) Food self-sufficiency: Crisis of the collective ideology African agriculture: The critical choices. United Nations University Press, (ISBN 0-86232-798-9
2. Gans, Herbert J (July 1971-p 20-24), "The Uses of Poverty: The Poor Pay All".
3. Human Development Indices (June 2009- p35), Table 3: Human and income poverty,
4. Poverty and Environmental indicators,http://www.afdb.org/en/knowledge/publications/gender-poverty-and-environmental-indicators-on-african-countries/
5. Donation for Namibia
http://www.deeproots.org