EDITORIAL: Previously disadvantaged vs presently advantaged
The term ‘previously disadvantaged’ needs to be properly contextualised in Namibia’s contemporary development agenda. It has been hijacked by pot-bellied men and perfumed women who today will pass with flying colours as ‘presently advantaged’.
They hide in the mob of genuine victims of past injustices and pounce on what is meant for real sufferers. 'Previously disadvantaged' cannot be infinite. If you once wore that hat to lay your hands on fishing quotas, leave the queue so that the Joe Sixpack behind you can get a resettlement farm.
What we have done so far is wage black-on-black violence, but in a slightly shinier package. When the presently advantaged spare no thought for those currently disadvantaged, that’s socioeconomic violence and daylight thievery.
This week, for example, Nudo parliamentarian Josef Kauandenge accused government ministers of obtaining resettlement farms for themselves. When does the disadvantage begin and where does it end? It’s like arguing that because we were once kids, someone must continue scrubbing shit stains out of our underwear at the age of 35. While you're at it, why not visit your favourite local pub in nappies and suck whiskey from baby bottles?
One is either disadvantaged today, or not. If they are, help turn around their condition. If they are not disadvantaged, leave them in peace. They are not broken, so why fix them? On paper, successful black businesspeople came from previously disadvantaged backgrounds, just as the man guarding cars at a mall. But between the two, society knows who needs a resettlement farm.
They hide in the mob of genuine victims of past injustices and pounce on what is meant for real sufferers. 'Previously disadvantaged' cannot be infinite. If you once wore that hat to lay your hands on fishing quotas, leave the queue so that the Joe Sixpack behind you can get a resettlement farm.
What we have done so far is wage black-on-black violence, but in a slightly shinier package. When the presently advantaged spare no thought for those currently disadvantaged, that’s socioeconomic violence and daylight thievery.
This week, for example, Nudo parliamentarian Josef Kauandenge accused government ministers of obtaining resettlement farms for themselves. When does the disadvantage begin and where does it end? It’s like arguing that because we were once kids, someone must continue scrubbing shit stains out of our underwear at the age of 35. While you're at it, why not visit your favourite local pub in nappies and suck whiskey from baby bottles?
One is either disadvantaged today, or not. If they are, help turn around their condition. If they are not disadvantaged, leave them in peace. They are not broken, so why fix them? On paper, successful black businesspeople came from previously disadvantaged backgrounds, just as the man guarding cars at a mall. But between the two, society knows who needs a resettlement farm.
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Namibian Sun
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