When the Namibia Transport and Taxi Union (NTTU) came into being recently, we chose to suppress our negative gut feeling and gave it the benefit of the doubt.
With its industry rivals largely in shambles, we thought the NTTU had come to seize the moment and play to the gallery.
But we now feel that our initial gut feeling was correct - that this was just another capitalist project flagged in our faces as the ultimate answer to the problems tearing apart our public transport system and related problems.
Originally, trade unions came into being to counter capitalism which was to a large extent tearing society’s fabric into bits.
But in defying logic and common sense, the NTTU this week announced that it would advocate for a N$4 increase in taxi fares – a radical departure from the regular 50c increases that the industry has made for decades.
The organisation’s president, one Werner Januarie, said the 44% increase in taxi fares was necessary because of the escalating cost of living.
To his credit, Januarie admitted that the cost of living has escalated. But in contradicting himself sharply, the unionist is advocating that the poor masses – who are the leading users of taxis – must, on top of their current problems, still find an extra N$4 for each taxi trip they take in the near future.
With this type of shallow advocacy, we now must bury our heads in shame for stupidly believing that a messiah had arrived in the chaotic public transport industry.
Januarie is clearly consumed by his unbridled hunger for an increased membership for his union and fame. Yet this was not, and will never be, a popularity contest. Taxis are an essential service which must be regulated in a way that ensures that society continues to live.
If left unchecked, this type of unionism will plunge this country into more chaos than we already have. Capitalist and loose-tongued unionism would be the best weapon to bring society to its knees.
It is this new breed of trade unionists who roll back the little progress that we have made in economically emancipating ourselves as a people – and as taxi users.
True, the plight of taxi drivers cannot be left to the dogs. Or perhaps with people like Januarie at the helm, their plight is already in the hands of dogs.
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