Why did I write, "Future Namibia"?

Namibians have a lot to be proud of. It is one of the most spectacular countries in terms of scenery and wildlife. In addition, it has enormous mineral wealth.

The most important ingredient of this country however, is its people. Namibians have emerged from decades of colonialism and apartheid rule to become one of the most integrated societies in the world. Regardless of social, economic or political background, Namibians are proud of their country.

As a child of Independence, having raised the flag of Namibia over Windhoek the morning of 21 March 1990, I am grateful for those who went before me to ensure the quality of life we can all enjoy.

I have been trained in investment promotion, or in plain words, marketing of Namibia to outsiders. This has had its share of success and failure, but more importantly given me the chance to study the people, the landscape, the business sectors, history and so much more.

This book is the result of my experiences and study of the best system for making this country even better for us, and our generations to come. While preparing the book I was looking for a basis on which to write. The best structure, I believe, has been to write this book as a “Business Plan for Namibia”. Accordingly, I looked at:

·         Management (Government, Legislature and Executive)

·         External and Internal Environments (PEST analysis)

·         Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT)

·         Marketing planning(through segmentation and targeting) to find the best value proposition

·         Forecasting

In all these, I looked for the best result achieved in other countries such as China, Germany, France, Netherlands, Japan, USA, etc and adapted it to our specific situation.

Throughout this book I also looked at how to integrate technology into our systems and daily lives. I have struggled to find a term for this and the best I could find was “Progress through Technology”,  or in German, “Vorsprung Durch Technik” . I prefer to use the German expression because in German the word “Technik” not only means technology, but also the technique of studying and mastering the skills of something.

My conclusion is that in Namibia, discrimination is not based only on race, culture, gender, or geographical location, but more importantly in access to services (and technology).

Just as in any business plan, this book is not set in stone. It is a work in progress that will develop and change to reflect the changes in our society. I hope that you the reader, will not only read, but become a participant in creating this vision of “Future Namibia”.

Future Namibia Mission Statement

“Develop the tools and systems to assist the management of Namibia (government, civil society and private sector) in providing access to services and technologies to allow maximum quality of life to all who live here.”

Milton Louw

14 August 2011

Email friend

(Dedicated to Jaqueline)

Although you are a friend of mine

And letters we exchange 

I would not know you on the street 

And doesn't that seem strange?

You hold a place within my life

Unusual and unique

We share ideals and special dreams

And still we do not speak

I picture what I think you are

Perhaps you picture me?

An intriguing game for both of us

For someone we cannot see.

So for this friendship we possess

We owe this mail a debt

Perhaps the charm lies in the fact

That we have never met.

Think out of the Box

You are driving along in your car on a wild, stormy night. You pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for the bus:

1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.

2. An old friend who once saved your life.

3. The perfect man (or) woman you have been dreaming about.

Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there could only be one passenger in your car?

Think before you continue reading. This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once actually used as part of a job application.

You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first; or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back. However, you may never be able to find your perfect dream lover again.

The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his answer.

He simply answered: "I would give the car keys to my old friend, and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the woman of my dreams."

Never forget to "Think Outside of the Box."

Swearing at the Namibia Music Awards 2011

The profane language by a certain artist, formerly known as Lady May (she is no lady), has sparked a lot of debate on the various Internet forums such as Twitter and Facebook. I am sure it is also a topic in many people's houses during this weeekend, and will be amply covered by our newspapers during the week. 

My first reaction when she made the comment (I do watch NBC), was to laugh. The artist obviously did not have any idea what the meaning of the words were, or the insult she was trying to convey. After all, did she really mean, to refer to the audience as people who participates in sexual intercourse with their mother?  

Then I did a double take. How do I explain to a child in the audience (at home) what she meant by this? Must I tell the child the truth that this artist believes we are engaged in sexual acts, or should I just answer, "she's swearing, and does not mean it"?

Thats when I got angry. Why should I be forced to make excuses for someone else? This artists is dependent on us as consumers to buy her music. Thus her behaviour is unacceptable. 

As a consumer, I believe its my money and I will use it where I am treated as king. So no Lady May, no business that swears at me will get my money.

Some encouragement in the workplace

DON’T LOOK TO BECOME A PERSON OF SUCCESS, LOOK INSTEAD TO BECOME A PERSON OF VALUE!

 There was a farmer who collected horses; he only needed one more breed to complete his collection. One day, he found out that his neighbour had the particular horse breed he needed. So, he constantly bothered his neighbour until he sold it to him. A month later, the horse became ill and he called the veterinarian, who said: 

- Well, your horse has a virus. He must take this medicine for three days.. I’ll come back on the 3rd day and if he’s not better, we’re going to have to put him down. 

Nearby, the pig listened closely to their conversation. 

The next day, they gave him the medicine and left. The pig approached the horse and said: 

- Be strong, my friend. Get up or else they’re going to put you to sleep! 

On the second day, they gave him the medicine and left. The pig came back and said: 

- Come on buddy, get up or else you're going to die! Come on, I'll help you get up. Let’s go! One, two, three... 

On the third day, they came to give him the medicine and the vet said: 

- Unfortunately, we’re going to have to put him down tomorrow. Otherwise, the virus might spread and infect the other horses. 

After they left, the pig approached the horse and said: 

- Listen pal, it's now or never! Get up, come on! Have courage! Come on! Get up! Get up! That’s it, slowly! Great! Come on, one, two, three... Good, good. Now faster, come on.... Fantastic! Run, run more! Yes! Yay! Yes! You did it, you’re a champion!!! 

All of a sudden, the owner came back, saw the horse running in the field and began shouting: 

- It’s a miracle! My horse is cured. This deserves a party. Let's kill the pig! 

Points for reflection: this often happens in the workplace. Nobody truly knows which employee actually deserves the merit of success, or who’s actually contributing the necessary support to make things happen. 

LEARNING TO LIVE WITHOUT RECOGNITION IS A SKILL! 

If anyone ever tells you that your work is unprofessional, remember: amateurs built the Ark and professionals built the Titanic.

DON’T LOOK TO BECOME A PERSON OF SUCCESS, LOOK INSTEAD TO BECOME A PERSON OF VALUE!

(Thanks to my sister Arlene for passing along)

Namibian Facebook Fan Pages - 16H30 on June 4 2011

1. The Dogg 26 560
2. NAMIBIA 15 341
3. MTC Namibia 7 474
4. Namibia is the most… 7 326
5. Stop Animal Hunting… 5 784
6. INamibia 4 187
7. www.exposenewspaper.com 3 566
8. My Namibia 3 201
9. namibia-travel.it 2 431
10. Namibian Sun 2 304
11. We are Namibia! 2 287
12. Lady May 2 263
13. www.swapoparty.org 2 165
14. Republikein 2 147
15. SPCA Windhoek, NAMIBIA 1 986
16. Travelstart Namibia 1 652
17. Hilton Windhoek 1 605
18. Namibia - Where to Stay 986
19. Pneumatix Namibia 943
20. Namibia Wildlife Resorts… 901
21. Namibia Annual Music… 761
22. Namibia Geographical… 705
23. KTM Namibia 683
24. Voices of Namibia 668
25. Update Namibia NBC 549
26. Polytechnic of Namibia 416
27. Travelyard: Camping in… 408
28. Goethe-Zentrum/NaDS… 404
29. Conservancy Safaris… 360
30. Vespa Namibia 305
31. Namibia Breweries Ltd 267
32. Ultimate Safaris Namibia 266
33. Namibia On Foot 259
34. Black Economic… 253
35. NBIC Namibia 247
36. Herbalife Namibia 225
37. consumer news namibia 221
38. Rally for Democracy and… 143
39. Namibia National Youth… 138
40. Dr Tjitunga Elijah… 120
41. Telecom Namibia 66
42. Milton Louw - Namibian… 60
43. National Youth Council… 52
44. Linux Namibia 50
45. Namibia Information and… 41
46. Institute of Management… 40

We Remember: Before, Now, and Later

The past:

“Those who control the past, control the future.” (George Orwell, 1984)

How do representations of the past affect our understanding of it? How are historical representations incorporated into collective memory? To what degree are ideas of national identity embedded in collective memory, and what role do museums and social online media play in the creation of this collective memory?

Too many times, leaders and nations have dwelled in the past, which has handicapped the immense potential of the present, instead of using knowledge of the past advantageously towards the future.

In conclusion, history has proved that it cannot disappear. Wars can never disappear. Poverty can never disappear. Sickness can never disappear. Corruption can never disappear. Yet our connected history has produced success, happiness, growth, and prosperity. History has shown contrasts, andNamibia, the country we are so fortunate to 

live in, advocates the diversity of every individual. In the words of Shakespeare, “What is past is prologue.”  Indeed, the future of mankind will build upon what it has already established. As time progresses, the common public memory of the past will continue to fuse and intertwine all nations’ destinies together based on what each individual accomplishes now, in the present.  

Paraphrased: http://www.greatquestions.com/winners/en/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20AnnaBetkaessay.pdf

Now is the time to look at what is our common memory - and include all sides of the wars as part and parcel of one nation. And learn to use our differences to map a path for the future.