Namibians are on the offensive when it comes to defence, using The Namibian's Facebook budget site to voice their unhappiness with the nearly N$9 billion Government intends pumping into the Ministry of Defence in the current rolling budget.

The taxpayer had to fork out about N$2,6 billion for the Ministry in the current financial year.

If Finance Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila gets her way, the taxpayer will have to foot a defence bill of around N$2,9 billion in the 2010-11 Budget. And about N$3 billion next year.

"What I don't want to see in this year's budget, Meme Saara, is anything to do with Air Namibia and the NDF (Namibian Defence Force), please," a contributor wrote on the Facebook budget site yesterday.

According to the official estimates of expenditure for the 2009-12 budget cycle, Minister Kuugongelwa-Amadhila intends earmarking nearly N$2,5 billion in the 2010-11 financial year just for the operational expenses of Defence.

Only about N$474 million, or 16 per cent, of the entire Defence budget will be geared for development. Of this, only N$88,8 million will go towards labour-intensive construction, renovation and improvements.

"Can you please put more focus on education and renovation of schools, especially in the Kunene Region? Why spend money on the NDF if they don't fight any war?" another contributor wanted to know.

Of the billions he would like to see better deployed, Minister Kuugongelwa-Amadhila intends spending nearly N$1,8 billion on personnel costs of the Ministry in 2010-11.

Travel and subsistence allowances are set to increase by nearly 33 per cent from 2009-10, and is expected to reach about N$20,3 million. Transport costs are likely to rise by 12 per cent to N$102 million, while Defence will get about N$54 million, nearly 25 per cent more than in the current Budget, to spend on utilities.

In total, Defence will receive approximately N$409 million for goods and other services in the upcoming Budget.

"I think the fund allocation to the NDF should be constant, the Government has done enough on the defence sector," a Facebook posting reads.

Minister Kuugongelwa-Amadhila doesn't agree.

In her Medium Term Expenditure Framework, she has set aside N$137 million for the 21st Guard Battalion, the unit responsible for the protection of the President and who is used at ceremonial functions, for 2010-11. This is 27 per cent more than in the current Budget.

The army will receive N$1,9 billion, the air force N$153 million, and the navy N$140 million.