Pandemics and crises demand decisive leadership
Friday, March 27, 2020
President Masisi PIC. THALEFANG CHARLES
After his administration-imposed travel restrictions on all official government travels, the President defied his own administration’s move to contain the spread of the coronavirus and travelled to Namibia for President Hage Geingob’s inauguration.
The COVID-19 outbreak has turned out to be an extremely politicised crisis of grave scale. The justification behind the ‘emergency trip’ to Namibia was insufficient and at most, a grave miscalculation on the part of the presidency.
It highlights the need to protect rights such as access to clean water, education, healthcare and freedom of expression.President Duma Boko, rightly honours past interventions from securing a dignified burial for Gaoberekwe Pitseng in the CKGR to promoting linguistic inclusion. Yet, they also expose a critical truth, that a nation cannot sustainably protect its people through ad hoc acts of compassion alone.It is time for both government and the...