OPPOSITION parliamentarians say they expect president Hage Geingob to deliver a rhetoric-filled state-of-the-nation (Sona) address tomorrow.
They said they are not enthusiastic about the president's address, because they expect him to repeat the same rhetoric.
Geingob will deliver his ninth Sona, where he is expected to highlight his government's key policy objectives for the 2023/24 financial year.
On his part, National Unity Democratic Organisation parliamentarian Joseph Kauandenge said he expects president Geingob to repeat the same rhetoric.
"I don't expect anything except the usual rhetoric, making bold statements and not living up those expectations and his own commitments.
"So, there is really nothing that I'm expecting that is new, because if there is one person who has failed as a leader of the government, it is the current president.
"What he says and the outputs are not the same. He will say that 'my administration will do this', but at the end of the day nothing happens," Kauandenge said.
UNEMPLOYMENT HEADACHE
Maximalliant Katjimune, the deputy chief whip of the Popular Democratic Movement, said they do not expect anything new or inspiring from the president.
The parliamentarian said Geingob "has totally failed us as young people and the nation at large. For the past eight years, the president has been making all sorts of promises to the country and to young people, yet things are just getting worse."
Katjimune added that "youth unemployment is through the roof, the basic education system is on its knees, pupils are failing like flies and the economy is limping".
"The shacks that he promised to eradicate after five years are still standing and informal settlements are, in fact, on the rise throughout the country.
"The Geingob Presidency has not been able to fundamentally address the key issues facing the Namibian society. So, we expect to hear the same rhetoric that resolves nothing."
Political analyst Rui Tyitende yesterday told Desert Radio that there is not much to expect from the president's Sona, considering the continued failure to deal with recurrent problems of unemployment and the poor standard of living endured by Namibians.
"Reality is that the president's last Sona was very uninspiring and failed to give tangible reports on what they are doing to deal with other problems, including unemployment, inflation and the poor standard of living. There is no more time for rhetoric, but we expect action that deals decisively with the current problems that we are facing," he said.
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"While we can credit the government for having come up with different policies in the past, including affirmative action, there has been zero efforts made in implementing these policies to better the lives of our young people."
The leader of Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters, Ephafras Mukwiilongo, said the Geingob administration always avoids talking about critical issues.
Mukwiilongo cited unemployment and underemployment as challenges that need urgent attention. He further criticised the government for failing to attract credible foreign investors.
"The foreign investors that are always being referred to and that they have provided employment, are mostly Chinese, who are not paying people. How can you have people working, yet they are earning N$700 or $800? These things, they don't talk about them," said Mukwiilongo.
Tyitende said president Geingob and his administration need to take decisive action that deals with the problems of unemployment.
"For a country that is coming from colonialism, I think the government needs to be on point with how they want to deal with Namibia's problems," he said.
Swapo lawmaker Tobie Aupindi defended the president's record, citing that economic growth in Namibia was 4% in 2022, despite the country emerging from two years of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"The president held the country steadily amid the global chaos. The discoveries of oil and the development of green hydrogen have put Namibia in an unprecedented pole position for a better future for our people."
