United We Stand

Originally published in the Informanté newspaper on Thursday, 12 November, 2015.

Namibia, as a nation, has several defining characteristics. The most important amongst these were articulated in the preamble to the Namibian Constitution, and inter alia, it mentions the following: “… Whereas we the people of Namibia desire to promote amongst all of us the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Namibian nation [...] Now therefore, we the people of Namibia accept and adopt this Constitution as the fundamental law of our Sovereign and Independent Republic.”

It was thus no surprise that Finance Minister Calle Schlettwein announced a solidarity tax last week, to be ring-fenced and utilized for poverty eradication in Namibia. This solidarity tax would be applicable only to those earning more than the average GDP per capita, and is in line with the principles upon which our nation and its constitution were founded.

And yet some Namibians are unhappy that they’ll be assisting the poorest and most vulnerable of our citizens. Some have even started a petition against this tax, giving several suggestions that, while some are valid, does not seem to take into account that many of these poverty eradication suggestions could in fact be funded by the very same tax they are so vehemently against.

Namibia has a very unequal distribution of income, and Minister Schlettwein’s proposed threshold of N$ 79 000 per annum would not even tax the top 10% of earners. Taking a look at the statistics reveal that if you earn N$ 5000 per month, 9 out of every 10 people you pass on the street are worse off than you! If you earn more than N$ 20 000 per month, then 99 out of every 100 people you pass are worse off than you. Is it too much to ask one so privileged to assist his fellow citizens to achieve the same success this country has granted them?

 

Other citizens like to point to instances of government corruption and ask why they have to sacrifice some of their riches when the government hasn’t. This after President Geingob pledged 20% of his salary to start a scholarship fund for the impoverished. The Namibian government has also spearheaded anti-corruption initiatives since President Pohamba’s presidency. Let us not forget that over the quarter century since independence the government has overseen a rise in GDP per capita from US$ 2000 in 1990 to US$ 5700 currently. In doing so, Namibia’s Gini Coefficient (the measure of income inequality) has dropped from 70.1 in 1990, the highest in the world, to 59.7 currently, which places us seventh, and ahead of South Africa. I’d argue the government has a proven track record of poverty eradication. 

There are those who would like to claim that you cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. This conflates wealth and prosperity, which are not analogous concepts. Prosperity can be defined as ‘financial well-being’ and it has been said ‘money is like manure – it’s no good to anyone until you spread it around.’ When wealth is hoarded, it stops being spread around and hurts everyone’s prosperity. Thus you can create prosperity by breaking up hoarded wealth. It even helps the prosperity of the wealthy.

Namibia has its own local example of this. Over the past 14 years since listing, Trustco’s owner, Dr Quinton van Rooyen, has redistributed much of his wealth via shares in the company to employees. First via performance bonuses, and with his 50^th birthday in April this year, to all staff, now and future, who have 1 years’ service with the company. This has not only lifted hundreds of employees into prosperity, and created 13 millionaires, but also allowed several employees to found their own businesses, and help bring prosperity to even more employees. President Geingob is now campaigning for other companies to follow this model as well.

Namibia is a very religious nation, and perhaps it is here that the resistance lies – in the entrenched ‘Protestant Work Ethic’ of John Calvin, which claims that hard work and frugality are indications of your salvation and that you are pre-selected to go to heaven. Giving to the poor is thus considered immoral because their position is reflective of what was pre-ordained by God.

To the religious, then, please bear in mind the following scripture of the Torah, Deuteronomy 19:28-29 – “At the end of three years you shall bring forth all the tithe of your produce in that year, and shall lay it up inside your gates...and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are inside your gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied,” and the New Testament, Matthew 19:21 – “Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven,”” and the Quran, Surat Al-Baqarah 2:177 – “Righteousness is [in] one who […] gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakah; [those who] fulfill their promise when they promise; and [those who] are patient in poverty.”

Atheists and Humanists should know that they should care about poverty, not because a god or holy text tells you, but because we are all the same species, living together on our small planet, and treating others fairly is the right thing to do.

Namibia is one nation. Strength comes when we unite as one – not when we split into different groups that want to exist independently. That only weakens us as a nation. No one got where they are without the help of others over the years – they got there with privileges and opportunities, some never earned, some by birth. Namibia was founded on the idea that the fortunate among us will help, and contribute, to ease the suffering of the least fortunate. Our strength comes from showing solidarity as a nation.