Helmut Angula sworn in as an MP

THE Director General of the National Planning Commission (NPC), Helmut Angula, was sworn in as Member of Parliament in the National Assembly yesterday.

He succeeds Hidipo Hamutenya, who resigned from Parliament and from the Swapo party two weeks ago. Chief Justice Peter Shivute swore in Angula at the start of the session, which was the last Parliamentary session for the year.Parliament will go into recess until the middle until of February 2008.Like Hamutenya, Angula did not make it into Parliament in February 2005 after the 2004 elections and he resigned as Cabinet Minister on December 7 2004, just days after the national elections.Angula was then Agriculture Minister and he said then it was “morally wrong” to remain in Cabinet since he had received little support in the elections.Angula’s name was on a list of 35 names that former President Sam Nujoma made public in October 2004 at a Swapo meeting to elect the party’s National Assembly candidates.Nujoma said at the time that the list was the work of “reactionaries” and people who wanted to divide the party.The list contained 35 names of people believed to have supported Hidipo Hamutenya’s presidential ambitions and Angula, who was among the top ten on that list, was said to have pressed Nujoma to reveal the origins of the list.Angula was placed 59th on the National Assembly list and Swapo retained 55 seats.After becoming Head of State in March 2005, President Hifikepunye Pohamba appointed Angula as Director General of the NPC.Before that, he was Minister of Agriculture for eight years.Angula was shifted there from the Ministry of Finance, allegedly after angering Nujoma because of his refusal to restrict spending to budgeted amounts.He previously served as Minister of Fisheries and Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy.Chief Justice Peter Shivute swore in Angula at the start of the session, which was the last Parliamentary session for the year.Parliament will go into recess until the middle until of February 2008.Like Hamutenya, Angula did not make it into Parliament in February 2005 after the 2004 elections and he resigned as Cabinet Minister on December 7 2004, just days after the national elections. Angula was then Agriculture Minister and he said then it was “morally wrong” to remain in Cabinet since he had received little support in the elections.Angula’s name was on a list of 35 names that former President Sam Nujoma made public in October 2004 at a Swapo meeting to elect the party’s National Assembly candidates.Nujoma said at the time that the list was the work of “reactionaries” and people who wanted to divide the party.The list contained 35 names of people believed to have supported Hidipo Hamutenya’s presidential ambitions and Angula, who was among the top ten on that list, was said to have pressed Nujoma to reveal the origins of the list.Angula was placed 59th on the National Assembly list and Swapo retained 55 seats.After becoming Head of State in March 2005, President Hifikepunye Pohamba appointed Angula as Director General of the NPC.Before that, he was Minister of Agriculture for eight years.Angula was shifted there from the Ministry of Finance, allegedly after angering Nujoma because of his refusal to restrict spending to budgeted amounts.He previously served as Minister of Fisheries and Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy.