SHELLEYGAN PETERSEN and MATTY KAMINZIOPPOSITION parliamentarians yesterday were furious over the Cabinet’s decision to close Air Namibia without consulting the National Assembly and asked that it should be revoked.
The MPs were especially furious with Minister of finance Ipumbu Shiimi and his public enterprises counterpart, Leon Jooste, whom they blamed for what they called “a great misjudgement”.
Although the two ministers were not present in parliament yesterday, it did not stop opposition MPs from lashing out at them.
The two ministers came under fire this week after they decided to enforce a 2020 decision to liquidate the financially troubled national airline which has gobbled up close to N$11 billion of taxpayers money in the past three decades.
The outrage by the opposition MPs is a contradiction as many of them have in the past called for the liquidation of non-performing state-owned enterprises, including Air Namibia.
Popular Democratic Movement leader McHenry Venaani said the decision by Cabinet shows that the executive has totally disregarded its responsibility to account to the legislative arm of government.
“Is this your country? Do we not have a say? Are we not the people’s representatives? What does the value of this house represent to you? You are first and foremost elected as a member of the legislature to become a Cabinet minister,” Venaani fumed at Shiimi and Jooste.
He accused Jooste of disregarding the provisions in the Public Enterprises Governance Act, before enforcing liquidation.
“For us to be told that the minister has moved processes and mountains for the liquidation of Air Namibia without taking this house into consideration is a great error of judgement of leadership and understanding the very deep principle of separating powers,” Venaani said.
He added: “I have been sitting in this house and I have never heard anywhere a motion from Cabinet that we have been informed that the Cabinet has sat, met and is considering liquidating”.
RDP’s Mike Kavekotora, who previously chaired the National Assembly’s public accounts standing committee supported Venaani’s stance, saying Cabinet made a mistake and should have taken remedial steps before ultimately shutting the national airline down.
Kavekotora has for years pushed for the liquidation of Air Namibia in the National Assembly.
“I think it is human and a mature culture for one to acknowledge a mistake and say sorry and based on that we will retract and restart the process. The executive is running it on behalf of the state and should admit that they omitted certain steps,” Kavekotora said.
Landless People’s Movement leader, Bernadus Swartbooi, believes the government’s decision on Air Namibia has redefined “what it takes to be a parastatal worthy of liquidation”.
“[The] government has on countless occasions referred to the national airline as a bottomless pit and too much funding goes into it. However, how do you explain the funds that go into other parastatals and ministries,” Swartbooi said.
He said liquidating a company to save money sends the wrong message to citizens and is not enough reason to leave them jobless at a time the government has not been able to create more jobs.
“What I am saying is should the ministries of agriculture, gender, land reform – should they be liquidated as well as institutions like Namibia Wildlife Resorts, TransNamib, Roads Construction Company, NamWater and NamPower? Which analysis does the government use? Is it that we gave this much and now we are tired, therefore we liquidate and save money. That is a very narrow lens of analysis and sends the wrong message to society,” Swartbooi stressed.
Meanwhile, National Unity Democratic Organisation MP Joseph Kauandenge questioned the urgency of sending home 644 employees with the approval of the executive without any consideration to what MPs have to say.
“What was the rush? What was so urgent when Cabinet members knew parliament would resume this week on Tuesday to bring it before parliament and say colleagues, in the best interest of this country we have deemed it fit to take this route?” an enraged Kauandenge asked.
Kauandenge said the liquidation announcement was “mind-boggling” because it seems the ministers made it knowing that over 600 households would be affected.
“Let us bring an element of humility in this discussion where you cannot stand up today and decide to say tomorrow you must leave your jobs. I am really lost for words because the ruling party itself is not in agreement with the liquidation, those in the executive and the MPs, what do you expect the opposition to say about this,” Kauandenge questioned.
Jooste and Shiimi were not available for comment yesterday.
