A war of words has erupted between Swapo and the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) movement over the conduct of AR members of parliament in the National Assembly.
Swapo information secretary Hilma Nikanor, in a statement issued on Thursday, accuses AR leader Job Amupanda and his movement of engaging in what she describes as “deliberate and politically motivated disruptive conduct” in the National Assembly.
Nikanor says AR’s conduct amounted to “brazen acts of hooliganism and anarchy”, referring to recent incidents in which members of parliament (MPs) were removed from the House after allegedly disregarding parliamentary rules, including wearing jeans and using cellphones in the chamber.
She says such behaviour undermines the dignity and authority of parliament.
“We call for parliamentary structures to impose appropriate sanctions against Amupanda and AR parliamentarians to ensure there is no repeat of such repugnant behaviour, “ she says.
However, Amupanda hit back, dismissing the allegations as “cheap, frivolous and intellectually bankrupt”.
Amupanda has defended AR MPs, saying they have “consistently demonstrated the ability to lead, articulate and logically participate in parliamentary debates”.
He says its entry into parliament marked the arrival of a new political generation determined to challenge the established order.
“We certainly did not enter parliament to receive instructions from political fossils,” he says.
He accuses National Assembly speaker Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila of subjecting AR MPs to “harassment and abuse”.
The exchange has exposed growing tensions between the ruling party and AR, with parliament increasingly becoming a battleground over political conduct, authority and the rules governing MPs.
While Swapo has called for discipline and respect for parliamentary procedures, AR maintains that its MPs are challenging a political system that it believes has failed to serve Namibians.
