Opposition laments lack of information

A MEMBER of the opposition yesterday criticised the ruling party benches for allegedly not informing Parliament about progress made on the implementation of Government projects and activities.

‘Members are not well aware of activities of Ministries as they do not tell us,’ Arnold Tjihuiko of the Nudo party complained.This irked Finance Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila.’Ministries compile annual reports which are tabled in the House, accountability reports are also available. We cannot implement projects if we have to come to Parliament [first],’ the Minister rejected Tjihuiko’s criticism.The Nudo MP however received unexpected support from none other than the Speaker Theo-Ben Gurirab himself. ‘Maybe there could be monthly progress reports and regular sharing of information like ministerial statements on the side of ministers. Such information is important as it will prevent misguided statements from MPs,’ the Speaker recommended.’In India, for example, MPs put questions every day to ministers in that parliament,’ he said.With renewed vigour Tjihuiko continued: ‘We were informed last year about a special Cabinet Committee set up for intervention against the affect of the global economic crisis on Namibia, but what progress was made?’ Tjihuiko was speaking on the debate on a report of a Namibian parliamentary delegation that had attended a conference of the International Parliamentary Union (IPU) last year on the impact on the global crisis and what parliamentarians can do to help curb it.Agriculture Minister John Mutorwa then stood up: ‘We debate on this report but where is it? I don’t see the report here.’Now the Speaker was in his element. ‘The report was tabled already four months ago,’ he said curtly. MPs were all smiles at this response.Tjihuiko added insult to injury. ‘A report was tabled a while ago and some MPs cannot even remember,’ he said melodramatically, drawing laughter from the opposition benches.The Finance Minister tried to save the situation. ‘Reports are tabled here. You cannot say that Parliament is kept in the dark,’ she quipped in Tjihuiko’s direction. By now opposition MPs were in stitches.Pouring oil on troubled water, the Speaker in a mild tone informed Kuugongelwa-Amadhila that ‘Honourable Tjihuiko meant that not all MPs like the Minister [Mutorwa] read the reports that are tabled.’Yesterday Asser Mbai of Nudo announced that he would table a motion next week about national HIV-AIDS implementation systems and their monitoring and evaluation.