Affirmative action in Namibia

Abstract

No abstract provided by author. The following is taken from the Introduction:

Despite being a supporter of affirmative action, Weiner admitted that affirmative action in the USA did not address the wider issue of poverty and that the policy did not constitute an attack against the prevailing social and economic system [8]. The policy benefited mainly the Black middle class as it was designed to help members of minority groups who met minimal job qualifications [9]. While contributing to the enlargement of the Black middle class, affirmative action remained meaningless for the poorest sections of Black Americans [10]. It was instrumental in narrowing the gap between groups in American society but it also contributed to an increasing gap within groups. Greater equality was only achieved in the sense that various racial groups were fairly represented in the privileged classes. In other words, affirmative action shifted the emphasis from racial inequality to class inequalities. It was merely concerned with making institutions more representative in their ethnic composition but it did not challenge institutional cultures, let alone become an instrument of redistribution. Affirmative action "the American way" would fail to meet Namibian expectations

There are, however, other countries whose experiences provide relevant lessons for Namibia. In Sri Lanka and Malaysia affirmative action was implemented to benefit the majority ethnic groups while India introduced the policy to advance socially, and economically, disadvantaged groups. In all cases, affirmative action was implemented in societies which were, like Namibia, ethnically heterogeneous. This section evaluates their experiences. The historical background which led to the adoption of affirmative action will be sketched in each case, followed by an analysis of the policy's implementation and results

Johnson's Executive Order No. 11246 of 1965 prescribed affirmative action in employment and promotion for all Federal contractors, while the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission established quotas for certain minority groups in the early 1970's [6]. Employers had to ensure that the composition of their workforce reflected the composition of the population. For example if 10 percent of the population was Black, then at least 10 percent of the workforce had to be Black giving them a "proportionate share" in the workforce

Although the term "affirmative action" originated in the USA, the American experience may prove of little relevance to the Namibian situation, relative to those of some Asian and African countries. Far from being a tool of transformation, affirmative action in the USA was essentially designed to integrate minority groups, and later women, into the mainstream of American life. According to Maphai: It was essentially a conservative notion designed and driven by the ruling class for Blacks who largely shared the same sets of socio-economic values with Whites. It was never intended to be a tool of egalitarianism, let alone transformation [7]