Parliament business stalls… again

THE persistent lack of a quorum dogged the National Assembly yesterday afternoon and the House had to adjourn before it could consider any business scheduled for the day.

The NA was due to decide on whether to pass the Local Authorities Amendment Bill, which paves the way for the establishment of the Windhoek Municipality’s City Police Force as well as the Motor Vehicle Amendment Bill which would impose stiffer sentences for theft of vehicles. A number of questions posed by the opposition on orphans, health and water were also expected to be answered by Ministers at the start of the sitting.The bells calling MPs to the chambers rang after a delay of half an hour from the start of the sitting.But by the time roll call was taken 40 minutes later, there were only 35 voting members present – two short of the required number.Speaker Mose Tjitendero warned that should such a situation present itself regularly, the House would not be able to finish scheduled business before it goes into recess on October 15.On Thursday last week, the sitting had to be adjourned after opposition members walked out of the chamber in protest against rulings by the Deputy Speaker, Willem Konjore that questions they had posed did not comply with Standing Rules and Orders.A number of questions posed by the opposition on orphans, health and water were also expected to be answered by Ministers at the start of the sitting.The bells calling MPs to the chambers rang after a delay of half an hour from the start of the sitting.But by the time roll call was taken 40 minutes later, there were only 35 voting members present – two short of the required number.Speaker Mose Tjitendero warned that should such a situation present itself regularly, the House would not be able to finish scheduled business before it goes into recess on October 15.On Thursday last week, the sitting had to be adjourned after opposition members walked out of the chamber in protest against rulings by the Deputy Speaker, Willem Konjore that questions they had posed did not comply with Standing Rules and Orders.