POLITICS-NAMIBIA: "Decentralisation Is a Process and Not an Event"

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Frederico Links

WINDHOEK, Dec 3 2004 (IPS) - The term decentralisation has become a buzzword in Namibian political and economic circles during recent years. In 2000, the Decentralisation Enabling Act was passed in a bid to give regions a bigger say in the policies implemented there.

But, while many Namibians appear to have a broad understanding of what decentralisation is, they’re still unclear about how it is meant to improve things like the provision of basic services.

“Decentralisation is to bring government closer to the local level,” said Olga Tjiurutue during an interview in the small town of Okakarara in the eastern Otjozondjupa region.

Moses Hamutumwa of Ongwediva in northern Namibia had similar views: “As an inhabitant of Namibia, I understand it to mean bringing government closer to the people.”

Perhaps Tjiurutue and Hamutumwa would know more about the specifics of decentralisation if they’d seen the benefits of this policy. But, very few government functions have actually been devolved.

George Kamseb, an official who deals with decentralisation in the Ministry of Regional and Local Government and Housing, says a rapid transfer of responsibilities to the regions was never part of the plan: “It’s a change management process. This means we have to re-look, redesign and revise and review things which we have done in the past.”

“This takes time,” he adds. “Decentralisation is a process and not an event.”

He admits, however, that there is still a lack of understanding of the process within some quarters of government and that this – coupled with the bureaucratic workings of the administration – might be contributing to the perception that decentralisation is progressing too slowly.

In addition, regional officials need to be trained on taking up their new responsibilities, notes Kamseb, while budgets also have to be planned so that regional governments can operate with greater autonomy.

Gerhard Tötemeyer, former deputy minister of the Ministry of Regional and Local Government and Housing, says the decentralisation process faces several constraints.

“The process will be slow for a number of reasons,” he says. “First of all, we must have the infrastructure in place, which means the buildings.”

“Secondly, we had to establish new administrative structures with a number of directors for education, for planning and for financial matters who could assist regional councils and governors with the performance of their tasks,” Tötemeyer adds. Finally, national ministries still have to be convinced that devolving powers is a good idea.

“If we go too fast, mistakes will happen,” he says.

Another issue slowing the pace of decentralisation is the economic disparity that exists between regions, which have to generate funds to implement the policies they decide on. This creates an imbalance of resources between regional governments, something that may lead to wealthier areas taking on new responsibilities faster than their poorer counterparts.

“It’s easy to say you can tax people,” says Christiaan Keulder of the Institute for Public Policy Research. “But who do you tax and what do you tax them on?”

“The problem is that some parts of our country are extremely poor and there is not a viable tax base for local authorities and regional councils,” he adds.

However, Kamseb says this issue is being addressed by the Trust Fund for Regional Development and Equity Provisions, which makes funding and advice on development projects available to regional and local governments.

There are also concerns that the process could lead to corruption at a regional and local level.

“Decentralisation can create elites at sub-national government level,” says Ludmilla Doëses, a Public Management lecturer at the Polytechnic of Namibia. “These elites can manipulate the system in the absence of control systems and use decision-making to disempower some sections of the community.”

Another warning came from Erwin Naimhwaka, a researcher at the Namibia Economic Policy Research Unit. “Decentralisation could cement ethnic divisions,” he cautions, adding that this might lead to a region disregarding its role in the national context.

If the process goes as planned however, the teething pains may pay off.

“Decentralisation is about bringing government closer to the people so that the people become masters of their own destiny,” says Doëses.

Further afield, several countries in Southern Africa have also drawn up decentralisation policies and plans with the help of donors. The process is considered a prerequisite to spurring economic growth and fostering a democratic culture.