Muha urges Commonwealth parliament to support members in crisis

Chairperson of the National Council Lukas Muha has called on the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) to take stronger action in supporting member countries facing political instability and conflict.

Speaking during a courtesy call with a delegation of members of parliament from the United Kingdom representing the CPA in Windhoek last week, Muha said the CPA should act like a family that looks after its members, especially those going through difficult times.

“As a family, we are expected to learn from one another and protect one another,” he said.

He pointed to Sudan as a CPA member affected by conflict and said more effort is needed to help restore stability there.

Muha also raised concern about Zimbabwe’s long-standing suspension from Commonwealth activities, saying the situation has been left unresolved for too long.

According to him, failing to assist troubled members weakens the credibility of the association.

“If we allow members to remain in conflict or be set aside without support, our role as a family will be questioned,” he said.

He stressed that the CPA should focus on dialogue and cooperation to help resolve disputes among member states.

Muha said lawmakers should not only pass laws but also consider how their decisions affect stability in different countries.

Muha said misunderstandings between leaders often lead to violence, while ordinary people, especially women and children, suffer the most.
He urged countries to use dialogue and cooperation to resolve disputes before they turn into conflict.

“It is something that has to be discussed, not only at a level of executive, but also at a level of legislature. This is because sometimes the laws that we enact leads to the conflict that we see in the world.

“We may still celebrate the peace we have today, but what we are seeing in our neighbouring countries may soon affect us if it hasn’t started affecting us already,” he said.

Muha also highlighted Namibia’s long involvement in CPA programmes and conferences, including discussions on changing the organisation’s legal status.

He said Namibia supported reforms that would allow the CPA to operate as a non-charitable organisation and function more independently.

The United Kingdom delegation, led by dame Harriett Baldwin, agreed that dialogue and respect for international law are important in resolving conflicts.

She said the CPA and other international bodies must continue promoting peace and cooperation.
Baldwin also confirmed that the United Kingdom has passed legislation to change the legal status of the CPA, as agreed at a previous conference in Halifax, to strengthen the organisation.

Reiterating Muha’s call to peaceful resolution of conflicts, Baldwin said: “There is such a wide range of conflict on our planet. I think most shockingly to us in the UK, the fact that on our own continent we have had one country in Europe invade another country has been a profound change in the post-war settlement and the rules-based international order that set up the United Nations and enabled peace on our continent for so many decades”.

“But you are right to highlight the very many conflicts across the world and how the very best way to take forward initiatives to resolving those conflicts is through dialogue, through respecting international law, and through ensuring that we can come to peaceful conclusions of those conflicts and never forgetting that it is women and children who often suffer the most in these conflicts,” she said.

Members of the UK delegation said they were interested in Namibia’s consultation model and said it could offe

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