Put aside differences and deliver - PM
Prime Minister Saar a Kuugongelwa-Amadhila has implored newly elected members of the National Council to put aside their political differences and deliver in the interests of Namibians.
According to her, as par l i amentar i ans, the i r functions are not only that of legislating, but they also have a constitutional responsibility as elected representatives of the people to ensure the effective exercise of the sovereignty by the Namibian people by respecting their wishes and optimising their welfare.
She made the remarks yesterday during the swearing-in of members of the Sixth National Council, following last month’s regional council elections.
Out of the 42 members of the Sixth National Council, 32 are elected to represent their regions at the National Council for the first time.
This means only ten members retained their positions, and these are nine Swapo MPs and one member from Nudo.
The members also elected Swapo MP Lucas Muha as the chairperson of the National Council.
Victoria Kauma deputised Muha who has been re-elected to that position.
To harness the full benefits of the democratic system with a separation of powers of the organs of the State and a parliamentary system with two chambers of parliament, she said there must be effective cooperation and coordination between all the stakeholders in the governance of the country.
The National Council is established under Article 68 of the Constitution with the power to, amongst others, consider all bills passed by the National Assembly, to investigate and report to the National Assembly on any subordinate legislation, reports, and documents, and to recommend legislation on matters of regional concern for consideration by the National Assembly.
As the Legislative arm of government, he explained parliament has a key role to play in ensuring effective governance in the country, which in turn is key for effective public service delivery and optimal development.
To achieve this, she said both houses of parliament should strive to ensure that the process of law-making is streamlined to expedite the passing of laws, and the discussions on bills and other documents brought before parliament are based on thorough consideration of facts so that the laws that are passed effectively deal with the concerned national issues.
As representatives of the people, she emphasised they should also ensure at all times that they keep parliament close to the people, maintaining easy public access to parliament and facilitating public input in decisions, as well as promoting accountability to the public.
She encouraged members to conduct the debates in the house in a manner that reflects the dignity of the house and honours the public whom they represent and serve.
“While we are all elected to parliament on the tickets of political parties for the most part and national councillors are deployed by regional councils to represent their respective regions, once we become members of the respective houses of parliament, we are representatives of all the people of Namibia, and we must at all times, work for the interest of all Namibians. This calls upon us to rise above our political differences and work together to find solutions to problems facing our people,” she remarked.
Taking an oath, Muha implored that despite their opposing political affiliations, they should be united by a common purpose of bringing prosperity to the people who have mandated them to make laws on their behalf.
“Parliamentary decorum and etiquette dictate that any fruitful discussion and debate in the house should be conducted under a certain amount of discipline, decorum, and order in the house. Therefore, it is important that the honourable members observe a respectable code of conduct and follow the set rules, customs, and conventions of the house,” Muha stated.
Further, he maintained it is imperative that from the onset they work towards building a culture of excellence, a culture of tolerance, and above all a culture of servant leadership.