Regional MPs meet in Windhoek

NAMIBIA is hosting a meeting of 150 Members of Parliament from southern Africa, who are discussing the role of parliaments and their members in governance in a plenary session.

The 22nd Plenary Assembly session of the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) is being held under the theme ‘Role of parliaments in governance with respect to the three arms of government’. These are the Executive (Cabinet ministers), Parliament and the Judiciary.Patrick Balopi, Chairperson of the Forum, who is also the Speaker of the Botswana Parliament, is chair of the conference.Namibian MP Nora Schimming-Chase of the main opposition party, the Congress of Democrats, is the Deputy Chairperson.The Forum meets every six months in a different Southern African Development Community (SADC) member state, according to a statement issued by the Forum, which has its headquarters in Windhoek.According to a source involved in the preparations for the meeting, the situation of opposition MPs in Zimbabwe will also be discussed.”We just hope that fellow Parliamentarians of the oppositional Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) are allowed to travel to Namibia to attend this session,” the source told The Namibian at the weekend.Earlier this year, MDC parliamentarians, its leader Morgan Tsvangirai and ordinary members were severely beaten by Zimbabwean security forces, which caused an international outcry.The SADC Parliamentary Forum, which claims to be an “autonomous regional parliamentary institution, committed to the struggle for justice, democracy, gender equality, the rule of law, sustainable development and good governance in the SADC region”, remained silent about the incidents in Zimbabwe.According to a background paper, the SADC Parliamentary Forum “believes that democracy is a necessary precondition for social, political and economic transformation and that parliamentarians are a important catalyst in that process”.On Saturday and Sunday, different committees held closed sessions on HIV-AIDS, trade, development and regional economic integration.The Committees on democratisation, governance and gender equality also met.Yesterday they were scheduled to discuss information technology and today the official plenary sessions for all 150 delegates will kick off.The Plenary Assembly is the supreme policy-making body of the Forum and consists of four MPs from each of the 13 national parliaments.Madagascar, the newest and 14th member, will join soon.In line with the Forum’s constitution, the composition of each parliamentary delegation is expected to reflect gender equity and representatives of the different political parties in parliament.This session will also review progress on the ongoing national and regional consultations on the proposed transformation of the SADC Parliamentary Forum into a regional parliament for the SADC region.The 150 delegates will also consider progress regarding the implementation of the programme of work of the SADC Parliamentary Forum’s Parliamentary Leadership Centre (PLC).It will be responsible for facilitating professional parliamentary performance through training, capacity development, knowledge and information sharing among national parliaments of SADC member states.The session ends on Thursday.These are the Executive (Cabinet ministers), Parliament and the Judiciary.Patrick Balopi, Chairperson of the Forum, who is also the Speaker of the Botswana Parliament, is chair of the conference.Namibian MP Nora Schimming-Chase of the main opposition party, the Congress of Democrats, is the Deputy Chairperson.The Forum meets every six months in a different Southern African Development Community (SADC) member state, according to a statement issued by the Forum, which has its headquarters in Windhoek.According to a source involved in the preparations for the meeting, the situation of opposition MPs in Zimbabwe will also be discussed.”We just hope that fellow Parliamentarians of the oppositional Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) are allowed to travel to Namibia to attend this session,” the source told The Namibian at the weekend.Earlier this year, MDC parliamentarians, its leader Morgan Tsvangirai and ordinary members were severely beaten by Zimbabwean security forces, which caused an international outcry.The SADC Parliamentary Forum, which claims to be an “autonomous regional parliamentary institution, committed to the struggle for justice, democracy, gender equality, the rule of law, sustainable development and good governance in the SADC region”, remained silent about the incidents in Zimbabwe.According to a background paper, the SADC Parliamentary Forum “believes that democracy is a necessary precondition for social, political and economic transformation and that parliamentarians are a important catalyst in that process”.On Saturday and Sunday, different committees held closed sessions on HIV-AIDS, trade, development and regional economic integration.The Committees on democratisation, governance and gender equality also met.Yesterday they were scheduled to discuss information technology and today the official plenary sessions for all 150 delegates will kick off.The Plenary Assembly is the supreme policy-making body of the Forum and consists of four MPs from each of the 13 national parliaments.Madagascar, the newest and 14th member, will join soon.In line with the Forum’s constitution, the composition of each parliamentary delegation is expected to reflect gender equity and representatives of the different political parties in parliament.This session will also review progress on the ongoing national and regional consultations on the proposed transformation of the SADC Parliamentary Forum into a regional parliament for the SADC region.The 150 delegates will also consider progress regarding the implementation of the programme of work of the SADC Parliamentary Forum’s Parliamentary Leadership Centre (PLC).It will be responsible for facilitating professional parliamentary performance through training, capacity development, knowledge and information sharing among national parliaments of SADC member states.The session ends on Thursday.