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Charming Shiimi tables Covid-19 budget

Finance minister Ipumbu Shiimi presented the 2020/21 national budget on Wednesday under the theme “Together Defeating COVID-19, Together Thriving Again”.

Shiimi said that he was tabling the N$72,8b budget during one of the most challenging times in the global, regional and domestic economy.

According to Shiimi, the budget aims to enable Namibia to better fight the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, support businesses and livelihoods of Namibians during these extraordinary times and to plant seeds for the future economic recovery.

“This particularly challenging time brings recollections of the invaluable lessons which history taught us; that unity of purpose and perseverance are key to success,” he said.

Using a story about 1819 and 1919 flu pandemic, Shiimi said that Namibians too today should persevere and have hope.

To drive his point home, Shiimi quoted the Irish American teacher, Kitty O’Meara’s poem on COVID-19 outbreak.

Shiimi’s version:

“And people stayed at home,

Someone meditated, someone prayed,

People found themselves,

And made new choices,

And dreamed of new visions,

And created new ways of living,

And completely healed the earth,

Just as they were healed”

The original poem:

And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply.

Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently.

And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.

And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed

The minister also told the story of the “Mbangala Kingdom” that was ruled by a very brave but caring leader. This kingdom was besieged by the enemy.

“Although this kingdom was small, it was relatively endowed with some mineral resources and an envy of many other kingdoms, especially the most powerful ones.

“One day the Mbangala Kingdom got news of the fact that military forces from a large and powerful Kingdom were approaching to take over their Kingdom.

“Hearing that news, the Mbangala King didn’t waste time. He mobilised everyone in the Kingdom, from youths to adults, to play their part and to save and defend their country.

“Everyone was given a role to play and there was unity of purpose in the whole Kingdom.  Even among those who have been criticizing the King before, heeded to the King’s call. It was a clarion call. THE AIM WAS TO SAVE THE KINGDOM.

“When enemy forces attacked, the warriors of the Kingdom repelled them back. This war was fought for two years, until the enemy forces gave up, after suffering heavy losses. Unity of purpose has saved the small Kingdom of Mbangala,” he narrated.

The moral of the story: Namibia too is ‘facing an invisible, but formidable enemy by the name of COVID-19’ that has ‘attacked the whole world population’.

“We are not alone in this war. A coalition of nations of the world is confronting the same enemy. Namibia is part of this global coalition for which international cooperation is materially important to deliver victory,” he said.

Shiimi said he was confident that working collaboratively, Namibia will still respond effectively to minimise the spread of the virus and loss of life and restore the health of those affected.

WHAT HAS BEEN DONE

The health emergency and the consequent suppression measures have helped to save lives, globally and at home: –

  • we have so far minimized the infection rate and the spread of the virus at the community level since COVID-19 touched down on our shores on 14 March 2020.
  • to date, no single life has been lost in Namibia as a result of COVID-19.

 

 

 

 

Wonder Guchu

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