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Nujoma turns up heat on MPs who don’t turn up

Nujoma turns up heat on MPs who don’t turn up

PRESIDENT Sam Nujoma yesterday denounced the poor attendance of parliamentarians in both Houses of Parliament last year as a “betrayal of confidence” vested in them by the Namibian people.

Opening the final term of the country’s third Parliament, the President highlighted the persistent lack of a quorum, saying it blemished the MPs’ good work over the years. Their absence from parliamentary sittings not only stalled business, he said, but let down the electorate that had placed its trust in them.”Inasmuch as we appreciate the good work of our parliamentarians, we should not ignore the shortcomings which have resulted in unnecessary delays of the passing of bills due to the lack of quorums in Parliament,” said Nujoma.The President said he was pleased by an attempt to address the problem – initiated by the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Chairman of the National Council.Under this proposed solution the concept of a working quorum and a voting quorum would be introduced in both Houses.Nevertheless, Nujoma impressed on party Whips the need to enforce discipline among party members to ensure quorums were maintained at all times.Apart from their patchy attendance record, MPs were congratulated for their dedication to tackling national challenges and accelerating the country’s economic development.”Four years ago the Namibian electorate gave this Parliament a renewed mandate to address the complex challenges facing our nation.In subsequent years, the Government made successful interventions and enacted a range of enabling pieces of legislation to enhance the provision of basic amenities to all our people,”said Nujoma.The current parliament has passed more than 90 Acts – but the President singled out those aimed at empowering the vulnerable, especially women and children, as the most notable.The Combating of Domestic Violence Act and the Maintenance Act, he said, ensured that these vulnerable groups were now treated as equal members of society.At last year’s opening of Parliament, hundreds of women and other activists marched to the legislature, urging the President to speed up the enactment of these Acts.Before the Speaker adjourned the House until next Tuesday, the Prime Minister, Theo-Ben Gurirab, moved that the House approve the five members nominated to represent the country in the Pan African Parliament.The establishing protocol for the continental body requires that at least one of each country’s delegation of five must be a woman.Those nominated are: Swapo Whip in the National Assembly Ben Amathila; Swapo MPs Ella Kamanya and Lydia Katjita; Tsudao Gurirab of the Congress of Democrats; and Ohangwena Regional Councillor Carlos Shinohamba.Their absence from parliamentary sittings not only stalled business, he said, but let down the electorate that had placed its trust in them. “Inasmuch as we appreciate the good work of our parliamentarians, we should not ignore the shortcomings which have resulted in unnecessary delays of the passing of bills due to the lack of quorums in Parliament,” said Nujoma. The President said he was pleased by an attempt to address the problem – initiated by the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Chairman of the National Council. Under this proposed solution the concept of a working quorum and a voting quorum would be introduced in both Houses. Nevertheless, Nujoma impressed on party Whips the need to enforce discipline among party members to ensure quorums were maintained at all times. Apart from their patchy attendance record, MPs were congratulated for their dedication to tackling national challenges and accelerating the country’s economic development. “Four years ago the Namibian electorate gave this Parliament a renewed mandate to address the complex challenges facing our nation. In subsequent years, the Government made successful interventions and enacted a range of enabling pieces of legislation to enhance the provision of basic amenities to all our people,”said Nujoma. The current parliament has passed more than 90 Acts – but the President singled out those aimed at empowering the vulnerable, especially women and children, as the most notable. The Combating of Domestic Violence Act and the Maintenance Act, he said, ensured that these vulnerable groups were now treated as equal members of society. At last year’s opening of Parliament, hundreds of women and other activists marched to the legislature, urging the President to speed up the enactment of these Acts. Before the Speaker adjourned the House until next Tuesday, the Prime Minister, Theo-Ben Gurirab, moved that the House approve the five members nominated to represent the country in the Pan African Parliament. The establishing protocol for the continental body requires that at least one of each country’s delegation of five must be a woman. Those nominated are: Swapo Whip in the National Assembly Ben Amathila; Swapo MPs Ella Kamanya and Lydia Katjita; Tsudao Gurirab of the Congress of Democrats; and Ohangwena Regional Councillor Carlos Shinohamba.

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