Master of Ceremonies
Fellow compatriots,
Esteemed Friends of Namibia,
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen.
I would like to take this rare opportunity to thank you most sincerely on behalf of the staff of the High Commission of the Republic of Namibia to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, and indeed on my own behalf, for inviting us here to Manchester to honour this most important day in our annual calendar, Heroes Day. And also, Master of Ceremonies, for the kind words of welcome you have extended to my delegation.
I would fail in my speech if I do not say a few words about the organisation that led to us coming here together. I would like to commend the organisers for the dedication and commitment shown to commemorate this important day in the annals of our country. I sincerely say this because such events require enormous time, energy and financial resources which you have campaigned on your own. And this is exactly what you and your colleagues have done. You came to the High Commission and informed us of your impressive and excellent ideas and plans for today and here we are.
At this juncture, I would like to request all present here to stand up and observe a minute of silence in honour of Namibian heroes and heroines who sacrificed their lives and shed their precious blood during our struggle for peace, justice, democracy and national independence. (Minute of silence - I thank you, you may be seated).
The commemoration of Heroes Day is a remembrance of that bitter history as we pay homage to the selfless contributions of our heroes and heroines who spearheaded the liberation struggle and gave their lives for our freedom. In honouring these noble sacrifices, the government of the Republic of Namibia has declared the 26 August a national holiday to be commemorated each year.
Fellow Namibians,
Our Government is working hard to address the social and economic challenges facing our nation. In this process, we are guided by pragmatic and forward looking policies that are aimed at achieving the desired outcomes. Specific attention is focused on the development of the key sectors of our economy, particularly agriculture, mining, fisheries and tourism.
At the same time, public investments are being directed towards the development of physical and communication infrastructure such as roads, railways, airports and harbors. The expansion and modernization of our national power grid, the water pipeline networks and the communications networks are also enjoying attention. Moreover, our Government is expanding programmes to provide, our citizens with services such as healthcare, education and housing with the aim of improving our living conditions.
It is the policy of the SWAPO-Party government that no Namibian should be left behind. It is for this reason that the Government continues to provide social safety nets to cater for our elderly, persons with disabilities, orphans and vulnerable children, veterans of the liberation struggle as well as needy people in our society.
This year, our Government adopted the three-year Targeted Intervention Programme for Employment and Economic Growth in order to address the unemployment situation in the country. This programme is designed to complement our medium and long term strategies to combat unemployment by placing the Namibian economy on a sustainable path of growth.
I believe that the only way that we can keep the legacy of our heroes and heroines alive is by ensuring that Government consistently delivers quality services to all our people. It is for this reason that the Government continues to improve the delivery of public services and social amenities. From education to health care, from housing to potable water, all these services have been expanded countrywide.
Fellow compatriots,
Earlier in the year, Southern Africa has been experiencing the wrath of mother nature in the form of devastating drought, floods and the coldest winter in decades. In Namibia, these natural disasters have also affected economic activities adversely. First, it was the long period of drought, especially in the southern areas of Namibia, and the good rains that we have received this year have resulted in severe floods, especially in the northern areas, causing untold destruction to homes, schools, clinics and economic infrastructure such as roads and bridges. The floods have also had a negative effect on agriculture and agricultural production. Many fields, especially in the Caprivi, Omusati, Ohangwena and Oshana Regions were submerged. The situation was further exacerbated by flood water from Angola. The situation was so severe that His Excellency President Pohamba had to announce a State of Emergency. At this juncture, I would like to recognize and thank our international development partners and friends for all their material support towards Government's relief efforts.
The situation was further compounded by one of the coldest winters Namibia has experienced in decades. In fact certain areas of the country saw snow for the first time.
Master of Ceremonies
Fellow Namibians
With regard to our bilateral relations with the UK, we continue to develop and maintain friendly and sound relations with the UK. These relations were further strengthened by President Pohamba's recent successful visit to the UK from 24-28 June this year. President Pohamba was here in his capacity as the Chairperson of SADC to open the Africa Business Forum. Organised by the Commonwealth Business Council, the forum was aimed at showcasing infrastructure opportunities in the SADC region to UK and international investors. The President also had an opportunity to meet Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Andrew the Duke of York and several British Ministers.
Master of Ceremonies
Fellow compatriots
With regard to the functions of the High Commission in London, we shall continue to look after the general welfare of all our nationals with the limited resources at our disposal. We shall continue to provide advice, assistance and support to the ever-increasing number of our nationals who travel to the UK and to those living in the UK. We will continue to assist you when processing new passports; renewing passports which have expired or are due to expire; issuing emergency travel documents; registering births and deaths; attending Court cases where our nationals are involved; assisting our nationals detained or imprisoned by paying them consular visits; visiting nationals who have fallen ill; and assisting them in cases of death and in repatriating remains of the deceased back to Namibia.
At the same time, I would also like to encourage you to respect the laws of the host country at all times. I therefore call upon you all, as Ambassadors of Namibia, to behave appropriately in order to reflect the good image of our country. Moreover, I urge you all to take advantage of the opportunities this country has to offer particularly its first class education. Vision 2030 needs an educated workforce and you will be doing a great service to yourself and your country.
However, I must point out that in carrying out these essential functions, it is vital that we strengthen the lines of cooperation and communication between yourselves and the High Commission. We should try to cultivate a culture of sharing information and to register yourselves with the High Commission by all means. In this connection, I wish to urge you all to regularly visit our website www.namibiahc.org.uk<http://www.namibiahc.org.uk/> to keep yourself informed about important notices and activities that are of concern to all of us.
Fellow Namibians,
As we commemorate this Day, let us do so with humility. Let us remind ourselves as Namibians in the UK; students and those that are working here, of the long road that still lies ahead towards improving the living standard of all our people; let us preserve peace; security and stability in our country; let us reject discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity, gender, religion and race; let us be inclusive and accommodate previously disadvantaged and maginalised members of our society; let us become more united as a nation than ever before; and let us march forward with resolve and confidence in the belief that we will achieve our goals and objectives. We should always remember that "their blood waters our freedom".
In conclusion, we salute all peace-loving people of the world who stood by us and supported us during our time of need, some of whom sacrificed their precious blood for the liberation of our motherland.
Long Live the 26th August!
Long Live the legacy of our heroes and heroines!
Long Live the Republic of Namibia!
I thank you.
|
