Fishing rights for votes

DISGRUNTLED APPLICANTS WRITE:

If one juxtaposes the recent allocation of fishing rights then you are left with more questions than answers.

The formation and performance of the Landless People's Movement (LPM) during the 2019 Presidential and National Assembly elections and 2020 Regional and Local Authority elections has caused us this damage.

This is a crystal-clear indication of how the ruling Swapo Government is pulling and playing around with national resources for votes. Why should they have waited for those elections in the first place? That process was supposed to have been finalized well before the elections and Covid-19, which the Hon. Minister, Dr. Albert Kawana was using as an excuse.

Furthermore, I am wondering how many of the twenty-four (24) Ministers and Deputy Ministers that Hon. Maureen Mbuende was referring to in an article in The Namibian have got fishing rights again? The Minister was just making a political statement on the 30th of March 2021. I didn't see any fairness in his dealings with the process.

There are only two ports in Namibia, being Walvis Bay and Lüderitz, but the applicants from these two ports have benefitted the least. People living in Windhoek are the highest paid officials, both in the public and private sector. So, why should Windhoek have topped the list and why is Otjozondjupa Region second? This shows you clearly that it was based on the election performance of the ruling party in the regions.

How could Hardap and //Kharas Regions, which are the biggest regions have shared 4.4 percent of the allocations?

If one looks at the strategy these quotas are again going to expire during the year of the next elections. So, there will never be any fairness and justification in this exercise.

Right from the onset I had a problem with the appointment of a lawyer as the Minister of Fisheries. He could have given advise from outside to whoever minister so appointed.

Most of the companies, which were speculated to get quotas did come in, viz. Hompa, Tomb Global Fishing, Rukatuka Investments, SMEDT Alliance Fishing, Rukatuka Investments, Calmo Marine, Ketwa Holdings, Bezzi Fishing, Jurel Shoal Fishing, Tulip-Nam Fishing, Otonaka Fishing and Blue Pann Fishing etc.

I am wondering what shared transparency the Minister was referring to? The Minister didn't clarify how some of the regions didn't do well during the applications.

My other biggest qualm is the quota being allocated to the Traditional Authorities. Some of them are so selfish, self-centred and cantankerous.

What can be done to ensure that the community members benefit from these quotas?

It is a worrisome issue that the Minister was seemingly giving preference to the Kavango East and West regions. Why? I’m tired if the perennial preference being given to veterans of the liberation struggle.

Why couldn't the list of shareholders have been completed during these two years? The consultations that the Minister was referring to: with whom were these consultations?

The Minister made references to Articles 18, 23, 95 and 100 of the Namibian Constitution, but I didn't see how they were adequately and substantively adhered to. Figures and percentages were continuously mentioned, probably just to confuse us.

However, I welcome the allocation of fishing rights to companies who employ many workers and who are sitting with assets valued at millions of Namibian dollars as well as no selling of fishing rights.

Hon. Dr. Albert Kawana, Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources there is a potential need and urgency for you to release the full list of the number of successful companies and the number of companies who were not successful as well as the coherent grounds for that.