NAMIBIAN parliamentarians serving on the newly formed Pan-African Parliament have returned from the inaugural session in Ethiopia over the weekend upbeat about the body its future.
At a media briefing in Windhoek yesterday, National Council Chairperson Kandy Nehova -who led the delegation and attended as an observer – said the parliament would go a long way towards ensuring peace and stability on the continent and to accelerate Africa’s development. Namibia is represented by 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.According to protocol, each country should have at least one female representative in its delegation.At the opening session, Tanzania’s Gertrude Mongella was elected as the President of the Pan-African Parliament.The four vice presidents are Dr Fernando Jose de Franca Van-Dunem (Angola), Dr Mohammed Lufti Farhat (Libya), Loom Ndoadoumngue Neloumsa Elise (Chad) and Jerom Sacca Kina Guezere (Benin).Amathila was elected to one of three parliamentary committees – the Rules Committee.Fifteen members each also comprise the Budget and Credentials committees.Egypt and South Africa are the two contenders for the seat of the Pan-African Parliament that will be decided on in July at a Heads of State summit in Ethiopia.At present, the parliament is a consultative body and has no legislative powers on the continent.Kamanya said she hoped the transition would be made soon, saying outsiders perceived Africa as having “a tendency to talk too much, but no action”.She said voting women into leadership positions within the parliament was testimony to African men wanting to involve women in issues facing the continent.Katjita agreed that “African women are ready to participate in decision-making on the continent”.The Namibian delegation said issues discussed were taken up from AU Chairman Joachim Chissano’s opening remarks that dealt with the scourge of HIV-AIDS, poverty, unemployment and conflict.Katjita said the Namibian delegation would in future not only discuss these issues on behalf of the country, but find solutions for the entire continent’s problems.She said the parliament was there not only to discuss each other’s problems but to learn from each other in changing situations.Gurirab noted the importance of finding solutions to conflicts on the continent, saying they were linked to good governance – a key objective of the African Union.”I believe, given our history, that Namibia definitely has a contribution to make in that area,” he told the media.The group will travel to Addis Ababa in July for the second session.Namibia is represented by 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.According to protocol, each country should have at least one female representative in its delegation.At the opening session, Tanzania’s Gertrude Mongella was elected as the President of the Pan-African Parliament.The four vice presidents are Dr Fernando Jose de Franca Van-Dunem (Angola), Dr Mohammed Lufti Farhat (Libya), Loom Ndoadoumngue Neloumsa Elise (Chad) and Jerom Sacca Kina Guezere (Benin).Amathila was elected to one of three parliamentary committees – the Rules Committee.Fifteen members each also comprise the Budget and Credentials committees.Egypt and South Africa are the two contenders for the seat of the Pan-African Parliament that will be decided on in July at a Heads of State summit in Ethiopia.At present, the parliament is a consultative body and has no legislative powers on the continent.Kamanya said she hoped the transition would be made soon, saying outsiders perceived Africa as having “a tendency to talk too much, but no action”.She said voting women into leadership positions within the parliament was testimony to African men wanting to involve women in issues facing the continent.Katjita agreed that “African women are ready to participate in decision-making on the continent”.The Namibian delegation said issues discussed were taken up from AU Chairman Joachim Chissano’s opening remarks that dealt with the scourge of HIV-AIDS, poverty, unemployment and conflict.Katjita said the Namibian delegation would in future not only discuss these issues on behalf of the country, but find solutions for the entire continent’s problems.She said the parliament was there not only to discuss each other’s problems but to learn from each other in changing situations.Gurirab noted the importance of finding solutions to conflicts on the continent, saying they were linked to good governance – a key objective of the African Union.”I believe, given our history, that Namibia definitely has a contribution to make in that area,” he told the media.The group will travel to Addis Ababa in July for the second session.
