Namibia’s Legislature Must Be Sacred

TWO developments occurred in Namibia’s Parliament, the National Assembly in particular.

One was a document reported to have been dropped at Parliament, apparently intended for members of the house. From the debate in the house it seemed that the document was derogatory towards one of the constituent parties in Parliament. My view is that we must resist the urge to take our case to Parliament in a manner that does not befit the integrity of the house and that may inject partisan tendencies on the floor of Parliament. Already the house is loaded in its debate with divisive partisan innuendos that threaten to retard the effectiveness of the business of the House. So, it will not be constructive to distribute literature in and around Parliament that could have inflammatory overtones. Our leadership from civil society, through religious beliefs to political trends, must resist the urge to use Parliament as the springboard for target shooting, as this could enhance negative feelings among Members of Parliament that could go a long way in exacerbating tensions in the House and in the community at large, more so during these electioneering times.Another matter that was not in good taste was to see Members of Parliament walking out of the House during voting on a bill. This left me with one of three impressions: one, that there is discontent about the decision-making process, two, that those who normally could have opposed the decision through a democratic process felt helpless for some reason and preferred to leave. And three, that there is an element of frustration and despair over the decision-making process and the only choice for those who are powerless is to walk out. The confusing part though is that it would appear that the walkout came at the conclusion of the debate and the start of voting. The impression left and gained is not that procedures were flouted and that members left out of protest, but that they left at the start of voting, either for fear of losing out or as demonstration that there is a dictatorship of the majority. Suffice it to admit that the actions above took place not outside the democratic realm. However, it does not appeal to see legislators walk out of the legislature at the start of voting for a bill. It suggests deep-rooted discontent, the kind that could leave the public guessing. I could be catching flies in the dark, but I want to believe that I share this concern with many in our society. The moment that lawmakers walk out of a voting session the public start wondering what is happening in the House, particularly when the matters on the table are as important as modification of the electoral laws. Electoral laws, like laws governing the holding of the national census, are by-products of the Constitution and like with the Constitution, their treatment must be viewed with circumspection and sensitivity. And to the extent that Namibia’s founding parents saw it fit to adopt the Constitution through consensus, to that extent, the adoption of any of our laws will, if marked by tensions, be viewed with suspicion. So, our leaders in the legislature must be sensitive to the potential misunderstanding that could emanate from how they handle the business of promulgating legislation in the House.Namibia’s legislature is sacred and we must guard against any conduct that compromises the integrity of our nation through injecting partisan political tensions in the house. To this end, Namibia’s leadership in and outside parliament must lead by example.