New book examines Govt reform

TWO political publications were launched at the Namibia Institute for Democracy (NiD) on Tuesday by former Local Government and Housing Deputy Minister Professor Gerhard Toetemeyer and Dr Henning Melber.

In ‘Governance and State Delivery in Southern Africa – examples from Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe’, Melber, Toetemeyer, Christina Makgala and Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni look at various governance systems in those countries. Toetemeyer, author of the chapter ‘Time for Renewal? – the Namibian State and its Governance’ says it is time to reform local authorities so that they can be run by professional mayors.He suggests that the National Council could be dissolved and its 26 members incorporated into the National Assembly.Another possibility is to change the National Council into a Senate or a Peoples’ House.The role of Regional Governors should also be reviewed, because decentralisation placed a heavy workload on them, Toetemeyer said.”Seventeen years after Independence it has become a necessity for the ruling party to reassess its position and task performance,” Toetemeyer writes.”The most important criterion is whether present Government structures and processes are meeting the expectations of the people.”The necessary reforms required a referendum and changing the Constitution, Toetemeyer said in his contribution at the launch.Dr Henning Melber, the former head of the economic think tank Nepru and who now heads the Dag Hammerskjoeld Foundation in Sweden, co-authored the book.Melber wrote the chapter on Namibia, which states that ‘Swapo is the nation and the nation is Swapo’, resulting in the dominance of the ruling party.”This is also due to the absence of serious political alternatives,” Melber said.Toetemeyer, author of the chapter ‘Time for Renewal? – the Namibian State and its Governance’ says it is time to reform local authorities so that they can be run by professional mayors.He suggests that the National Council could be dissolved and its 26 members incorporated into the National Assembly.Another possibility is to change the National Council into a Senate or a Peoples’ House.The role of Regional Governors should also be reviewed, because decentralisation placed a heavy workload on them, Toetemeyer said.”Seventeen years after Independence it has become a necessity for the ruling party to reassess its position and task performance,” Toetemeyer writes.”The most important criterion is whether present Government structures and processes are meeting the expectations of the people.”The necessary reforms required a referendum and changing the Constitution, Toetemeyer said in his contribution at the launch.Dr Henning Melber, the former head of the economic think tank Nepru and who now heads the Dag Hammerskjoeld Foundation in Sweden, co-authored the book.Melber wrote the chapter on Namibia, which states that ‘Swapo is the nation and the nation is Swapo’, resulting in the dominance of the ruling party.”This is also due to the absence of serious political alternatives,” Melber said.