Parliamentarians pledge to prioritise national welfare

Parliamentarians in Namibia’s eighth National Assembly have affirmed their commitment to engaging in robust debates aimed at improving the welfare of citizens.

The newly constituted parliament conducted an induction and orientation seminar in Windhoek on Monday under the theme ‘Fostering Effective and Meaningful Democracy’.

Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) member Inna Hengari, who retained her seat, expressed her readiness and said the welfare of all Namibians will remain a priority.

“I will be speaking to the livelihoods of Namibians, the economy, unemployment, the rent control bill which is very due… As a seasoned politician I don’t want to limit myself to just a few spaces and just a small demographic of our country. What I would rather do this time around is really expand my representation beyond the things that were presented in the last parliament,” Hengari said.

Meanwhile Swapo lawmaker and former minister of finance and public enterprises Iipumbu Shiimi said he will focus on engaging in productive discussions to drive Namibia’s developmental agenda.

“My part will be to bring in different perspectives on how we can move forward as a country and I look forward to those debates,” he said.

Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) representative Imms Nashinge underscored the importance of discussions aligned with party manifestos to effect change.
He stressed the need to address housing and education, particularly vocational training centres, as well as the creative industry, which he said is treated as part of the education sector, but in his opinion should not be.

“If you look at the many people in that industry who are trained, they know what needs to be done … It’s a business, there is money there, but if you look at the creative industry, not much attention is given to it,” Nashinge noted.

Affirmative Repositioning (AR) lawmaker Job Amupanda called for strengthening the capacity of parliament, arguing that its current organisational structure does not fully support effective lawmaking. He said more legal experts should be recruited to assist lawmakers in comprehending and passing bills efficiently.

“Our immediate task is to bring into question and to redirect the very institution. The first to ask is does this parliament, its [organisational structure], allow members of parliament to optimally pass laws and understand laws? Our interim answer is no, and first we want to change that,” he said.

The eighth parliament comprises representatives from 13 political parties.

Swapo holds a majority with 51 seats, followed by the IPC with 20 seats. The AR secured six seats, while the Landless People’s Movement and PDM each have five seats. The United Democratic Front of Namibia holds two seats, while the All People’s Party, Body of Christ Party, Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters, National Democratic Party, National Unity Democratic Party, Republican Party of Namibia, and Swanu of Namibia each hold one seat.