Galaxy

Yes, Kanamutenya we should guard against homophobia as well as - and I think this is what you mean - xenophobia. A cursory glance at Wikipedia tells us that homophobia is the range of negative attitudes and feelings towards homosexuality and people identified or perceived as being homosexual. Both homophobia and xenophobia don't have a place in our democracy, as the Bill of Fundamental Human Rights guarantees freeom of sexual orientation and welcomes law-abiding people from outside the borders of the country be they Chinese, Indian, whatever.....

Xenophobia on the other hand is the term typically used to describe a fear or dislike of foreigners or of people significantly different from oneself, usually in the context of visibly differentiated minorities. We should not be xenophobic when it comes to Chinese in our country, and in general terms Chinese law-abiding persons residing in Namibia should indeed be respected and deserve to be respected.

But I also think that where there is smoke there is fire. It is an open secret, Kanamutenya, that many Chinese companies operating in our country, the region and indeed the entire Continent pursue their own self-interest ruthlessly and with any and all means available.

I don't think I'm stating anything controversial here. We all talk about Chinese workers obtaining work and permanent residence permits before anyone else and within days instead of weeks or months; about taking jobs from Namibians; about flooding our markets with goods that were previously produced in our own countries; about cChinese companeis not adhering to labour laws, about bribes, arrogant behaviour, etc..etc.. and so for much of the good that Chinese companies bring and do to our country and the development of the economy, some of them unfortunately also bring and do quite a bit of detrimental things - it is our duty as patriots to guard against this wherever it comes from, whether from Europe, the Americas or the Far East.

Let us indeed NOT paint every Chinese person with the same brush, but let us also not be blind about the other side of the coin and admit to some of the shortcomings in the behaviour of Chinese businesspeople operating in our country.

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Is it not careless to become too local when there are four hundred billion stars in our galaxy alone - Archie R. Ammons

Comrade_007

Well said, Galaxy - look I totally agree we should not be prejudiced and xenophobic and I don't intend to be but let's be open and honest: There is a problem here and attimes it appears to be of a systemic nature

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"Nothing is complete and thus nothing is exempt from criticism." - James Luther Adams:

juikk

Originally Posted by Kanamutenya

I do not agree with China flag to be hoisted in our country, however I think coming to other issue, Chinese deserve respect like all other citizen, stop jealousy with the Chinese, all in all there are many international companies all over the world, remember Namibia is mix economy and people should learn to compete, if the Chinese offer better why not get the job? How many Indigent Construction Company do we have here in Namibia? I can tell you none, everything is from South Africa and South Africa is just a foreign like China. How many Namibian form a consolidated and strong company here none, we have to blame ourselves and not Chinese, however remember China is the biggest market economy in the world, if you don't have access to the Chinese market then you're blind, even in America or Britain you found Chinese there too, and they are the biggest economy as well, so stop this homophobias against China. "Codeneme no importa la historia me absolvera" Fidel Castro Ruz

dude, this is the most thick thinking response I ever saw. No one is jealous of Chinese. Try going to China and benefit from their structures the same exact way the Chinese do, u will not get that far. In any case there is a reason why we are citzens to our respective nations, natives always should get better and easier deals than foreigners, it is like that all over the world. Some European country citizens for instance do not pay for tertiary education whereas foreigners to Europe like you and me will not have the same benefit. if these countries would have however revers this and gave me and you free education perhaps because we performed better than a European student, I do not think a complaining European to such arrangement would be seen as jealous....so in essence your argument for instance could land a chinese land since they are 'more competetive' and I as a native should not please be 'jealous' and allow my government to make such decision, OMG, get a bit of common sense will you?

juikk

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Just make sure that the aggression or hard feelings aren't geared towards the workers that come over here. I hear a lot of "Chinese are so this, Chinese are so that" and it is racism, which should never be tolerated. Chinese people who move here, leave their homeland, their freinds and most of their families and it is hard for them, too. If they get relocated to an African country they are in a completely different world and get blamed for taking jobs, etc. But the problem is not them, they are only the trigger, the surface issue. The problem is depply rooted in leaders, corruption and shady buisness.

While I am not advocating Xenophobia, I have to point out how really unfriendly and cold the chinese are toward Namibians. We do not need to 'lick' them, they are the ones invading our country so should at least have the decency to acquire our peaceful and friendly nature!!!!ever shopped at china town where a shop owner do not even greet you back when you enter their shops and greet them? If that is their attitude, and they slowly but surely worm their way into our economy and lives, even getting loyalist among us(fellow Nambians would rather tell each other off on behalf of the darn chinese), I am fearing what will happen some 10 years down the line, a Chinese government? guys wake up and smeel the coffeee, these people are here to take any thing at any cost from us, so there has to be some measure and protecting what is suppose to be Namibian. we do not prevent foreigners to make a living here, but there has to be lines drawn as to how much a foreigner can get away with. Why are
Namibians defending the Chinese so much when we do not even 'warm' up that much to say for instance Nigerians who happen to be fellow Africans? we must be the miost dire hypocrites I ever encountered in this country....just saying

juikk

If I am not mistaken, there has recently been an establishment of a competition act. I would want to see them prioritising resolving the Chinese plague busy growing like a cancer on the Namibian economy!!! just saying....

Patriot007

In principle I can agree Foreign Flags Flying on a sovereign territory should not been flown unless at official state functions or Official Residents of said Nation in a certain country.

The other issue is rather a more dificult one. In a globalized world skills are moving accross borders. Thus skills and semi skilled work, and goods for that matter, will allways henceforth move over borders to where the oppertunnities are at. Simply we need to be better at it than the Chinese and Indians for that matter.

Does the Chinese have a good agenda for Africa. I doubt it. Are the Western World having a better agenda for Africa. I highly doubt it. For now the better of the two devils are not clear. What is however very clear is that we need to up our level and empower ourselves. That is the only way that we will be able to develop our country in the right direction.

I think there is a lot of lessons to be learned in the successes of the Chinese and the Indians, we should learn them and learn them well.

Mie1

Yes, patriot! Of course we can learn much from China and India - in fact, from all the so-called BRIC countries.

This does not mean that we have to accept them or their people to the exclusive exclusion of our own people!

Patriot007

With this I am not rubber stamping the in flow of unskilled and semi skilled workers into Namibia. That is detrimental to ourselves. I think our Goverment has also realized the fact. The problem I am though attacking is that of continued globalization and the outsourcing of work to companies. There is an up and down side to this. We need to get the upside to work more in favour and minimize the downside.

theman

Straightforward, mense - apply die laws soos hulle staan en laat hulle pay soos al die ander maatskappye pay vir hulle werkers, en laat hulle in 'n queue staan soos all die ander mense en maak seker hull emaatskappy stick to the laws en regulations en wys vir hull ewie die baas vna die plaas is en dan sal ons kyk hoeveel van hulle rerig hier wil wees. soos dit nou is is dit 'n "shoe-in" - as opposed to shu-in!