The bitterest struggle is for economic freedom
By Victor Angula |
Political freedom came at a price.
But the bitterest and most cruel struggle of our time is the struggle for economic freedom, freedom from poverty.
Of course political freedom was harsh. Freedom fighters paid with their lives, were injured physically or psychologically or both, or ended up in jail for daring to ask for political rights and freedoms.
Freedom fighters also had to make the hard choice of taking up arms with the clear intention of killing and maiming other human beings. Such was how bitter the struggle for freedom was.
But as Namibia turns 32 years of political freedom in a few weeks’ time, a lot of people will rather have to reflect on how tough today’s struggle is. A lot of the old generation may just as well reminisce about the good old days when opportunities for work were not as hard as today.
Back in the 1980s and 70s, every youth who wanted to work did not struggle so much to find a job. A job in the mine, on a farm, or at a construction site. Those who give an excuse that it was because back then the population was small, such is a lie. In a society work opportunities are always equal to the population.
Work opportunities are created by people, not created by nature. Why today people are not creating the opportunities for work is because today’s struggle between the classes is just as bitter as the struggle between the local people and the oppressive foreign occupier regime.
Today’s struggle is much more bitter because it is not easy to identify your opponent. It is also not fair to declare that the enemy of the working class is the upper class – the ruling elites and their western educated sycophants, together with their foreign partners.
It is not easy to state that the enemy of progress is a certain group of people, because the Constitution of Namibia and all laws prohibit any manner of discrimination, exploitation or disharmony between classes, groups or individuals.
It is not at all an easy thing to go out and wage a war for economic freedom because the enemy could also be on our side, the enemy could be ignorance, lack of political will and lack of fighting spirit.
This struggle is bitter, also because with all the natural wealth of which the country is blessed by God the Creator, it just looks like a mystery how we cannot share the wealth among the vast majority of the population now while we say that we are governing ourself as a united nation.
This is why our struggle today is bitter and more difficult. But where there is a will there is a way.
