NA looks at ‘tribal’ appointments

NATIONAL Assembly lawmakers have appointed a high-level committee to investigate allegations that people from only one ethnic group have been filling most parliamentary staff vacancies.

The inquiry into ethnic bias was set up at the beginning of this month by the Standing Committee on Standing Rules and Order several months after the Public Service Commission had raised similar concernsabout earlier appointments, The Namibian has learnt. The sub-committee of the National Assembly was created to look into allegations that only Herero-speaking Namibians had been chosen to fill high-level posts over the past year.The Secretary of the National Assembly, Moses Ndjarakana, confirmed that in October the Public Service Commission questioned the hiring of staff for the Committee Service Division of the Assembly.He would not comment about the latest inquiry saying:”I cannot tell you anything about what the Standing Committee does or does not do.It doesn’t matter what the subject is.”The Namibian has learnt that MPs Elia Kaiyamo, Linus Chata, Teopolina Mushelenga and McHenry Venaani have been appointed to the committee whose task is officially to look into “labour relations” though its focus is tribalism.Ponhele ya France, also a lawmaker, has been dubbed as “resource person” for the inquiry.Kaiyamo, appointed “a convener”, and Ya France have declined to comment.Ya France said he could not “utter a word” about the “internal matters of Parliament”.Kaiyamo initially appeared exasperated that the questions he was asked were based on “classified information from parliamentary documents”.He then said he would not confirm or deny the existence of such a committee.The Namibian is in possession of the names of people whose appointments have been questioned by the Public Service Commission.They are all Herero-speaking.Ndjarakana said his office had provided the Public Service Commission with the records of recruitments, such as the scoring of the interview panel, and had also disclosed the ethnic composition of the panel to show that they were not necessarily Herero-speakers.”The commission never did anything else except to approve our recommendations,” said Ndjarakana.The sub-committee of the National Assembly was created to look into allegations that only Herero-speaking Namibians had been chosen to fill high-level posts over the past year.The Secretary of the National Assembly, Moses Ndjarakana, confirmed that in October the Public Service Commission questioned the hiring of staff for the Committee Service Division of the Assembly.He would not comment about the latest inquiry saying:”I cannot tell you anything about what the Standing Committee does or does not do.It doesn’t matter what the subject is.”The Namibian has learnt that MPs Elia Kaiyamo, Linus Chata, Teopolina Mushelenga and McHenry Venaani have been appointed to the committee whose task is officially to look into “labour relations” though its focus is tribalism.Ponhele ya France, also a lawmaker, has been dubbed as “resource person” for the inquiry.Kaiyamo, appointed “a convener”, and Ya France have declined to comment.Ya France said he could not “utter a word” about the “internal matters of Parliament”.Kaiyamo initially appeared exasperated that the questions he was asked were based on “classified information from parliamentary documents”.He then said he would not confirm or deny the existence of such a committee.The Namibian is in possession of the names of people whose appointments have been questioned by the Public Service Commission.They are all Herero-speaking.Ndjarakana said his office had provided the Public Service Commission with the records of recruitments, such as the scoring of the interview panel, and had also disclosed the ethnic composition of the panel to show that they were not necessarily Herero-speakers.”The commission never did anything else except to approve our recommendations,” said Ndjarakana.