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Kapia tight-lipped on parliament seat

Kapia tight-lipped on parliament seat

OUSTED Deputy Minister of Works Paulus Kapia yesterday remained tight-lipped on whether he plans to resign as Member of Parliament following Swapo’s decision last week that he be stripped of his seat.

Approached by The Namibian yesterday, Kapia said he had no comment. Secretary to the National Assembly Moses Ndjarakana said his office had not received any notification of Kapia vacating his seat in the House.The National Assembly is scheduled to resume its duties on Tuesday.A week ago, Swapo Secretary General Ngarikutuke Tjiriange announced that it was suspending Kapia from all party activities while his role in a bungled N$30 million investment the Social Security Commission placed with Avid Investment Corporation is investigated.However, the suspension of an MP from his or her party is not sufficient grounds for making an MP vacate his or her seat in Parliament.If Kapia does not quit his seat, Swapo can choose to expel him from the party to enforce its decision that he be removed as an MP.Alternatively, should Kapia be absent from the House for 10 consecutive sitting days without a valid reason, he will lose his seat according to the Namibian Constitution.Kapia quit as the Deputy Minister of Works, Transport and Communications two weeks ago.Tjiriange could not be reached yesterday, but Swapo Secretary for Information Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah told The Namibian she had not been notified as to whether Kapia had chosen to resign.”It is clear that he will not be returning to Parliament,” she emphasised, however.Last week Tjiriange said the party was “making appropriate arrangements for Kapia to vacate his seat in the National Assembly”.Former Foreign Affairs Minister Hidipo Hamutenya, who is next on the Swapo party list to take up a seat in Parliament, said yesterday that the party had not approached him about a possible return to the House.Hamutenya, who was fired as a Minister by former President Sam Nujoma in May last year, held an ordinary seat in the National Assembly for most of last year.”I will concentrate on that when we get there,” is all Hamutenya would say about whether he would consider becoming an MP again.Former Deputy Finance Minister Clara Bohitile is next in line after Hamutenya on the party list.Secretary to the National Assembly Moses Ndjarakana said his office had not received any notification of Kapia vacating his seat in the House.The National Assembly is scheduled to resume its duties on Tuesday.A week ago, Swapo Secretary General Ngarikutuke Tjiriange announced that it was suspending Kapia from all party activities while his role in a bungled N$30 million investment the Social Security Commission placed with Avid Investment Corporation is investigated.However, the suspension of an MP from his or her party is not sufficient grounds for making an MP vacate his or her seat in Parliament.If Kapia does not quit his seat, Swapo can choose to expel him from the party to enforce its decision that he be removed as an MP.Alternatively, should Kapia be absent from the House for 10 consecutive sitting days without a valid reason, he will lose his seat according to the Namibian Constitution.Kapia quit as the Deputy Minister of Works, Transport and Communications two weeks ago.Tjiriange could not be reached yesterday, but Swapo Secretary for Information Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah told The Namibian she had not been notified as to whether Kapia had chosen to resign.”It is clear that he will not be returning to Parliament,” she emphasised, however.Last week Tjiriange said the party was “making appropriate arrangements for Kapia to vacate his seat in the National Assembly”.Former Foreign Affairs Minister Hidipo Hamutenya, who is next on the Swapo party list to take up a seat in Parliament, said yesterday that the party had not approached him about a possible return to the House.Hamutenya, who was fired as a Minister by former President Sam Nujoma in May last year, held an ordinary seat in the National Assembly for most of last year.”I will concentrate on that when we get there,” is all Hamutenya would say about whether he would consider becoming an MP again.Former Deputy Finance Minister Clara Bohitile is next in line after Hamutenya on the party list.

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