Allexer Namundjembo
Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) president Panduleni Itula says Parliament should be judged by the quality of its work and its impact on people’s lives, not by how many bills it passes.
He responded to President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s address at this week’s official opening of Parliament on Thursday.
Itula welcomed the President’s emphasis on participatory democracy, inclusive development and anti-corruption.
However, he said these goals can only be achieved if Parliament exercises strong oversight and operates transparently.
He said Parliament’s role is not to rush legislation but to carefully examine bills, consider public input and ensure safeguards that protect public resources and citizens’ rights.
“Our people want timely oversight and laws that improve lives. But timeliness cannot mean haste. Haste is precisely how hidden clauses, excessive ministerial and presidential discretion, weak procurement controls, and vague allocation powers slip through, creating legal tunnels through which corruption can later travel lawfully on paper, while remaining unlawful and immoral in substance,” Itula said.
Itula further said these measures would strengthen oversight while maintaining public trust and democratic integrity.
Itula said real service to the public lies in passing laws that protect citizens, not laws approved quickly for political convenience.
He called for every bill to undergo corruption-risk screening to assess whether it expands discretion, creates opaque funds, weakens procurement rules, or reduces oversight. He also urged early publication of bills and committee submissions to give the public enough time to comment.
Itula further called for tighter law drafting, including limiting discretionary powers, setting clear criteria, requiring reasons for decisions and providing appeal and review mechanisms.
He said Parliament should be measured by the quality of its scrutiny, noting that blocking a flawed or corrupt bill serves the country better than passing many weak ones.
In her address, Nandi-Ndaitwah reflected on Parliament’s role in lawmaking, oversight and accountability.
This comes as only two of the nine bills tabled last year were passed.
The bills that were passed relate to the national budget.
The year also marked the lowest number of laws passed since independence and drew criticism from some former lawmakers.
Former legislator Jerry Ekandjo described last year’s legislative output as poor and said Parliament had moved away from its core role of making laws.
This week, Association for Localised Interests (ASOLI) president Joseph Kauandenge this week called for Parliament to stop acting as a rubber stamp and to function as an independent law-making body where proper debate takes place.
Kauandenge said he welcomed the President’s call for faster lawmaking but said this would not happen unless the ruling party changes how Parliament operates.
He stated that the ruling party has increasingly treated Parliament as an extension, rushing bills through without proper notice, consultation, or debate.
“Over the years ministers have been found wanting by bringing in bills at the eleventh hour, without proper notice, without proper discussions and hastily using their majority in parliament to pass this bill,” Kauandenge said.
Kauandenge stated that when challenged in court, some laws passed in this manner failed to withstand legal scrutiny.
Treating Parliament as a formality, according to Kauandenge, has also caused delays in important legislation, as opposition parties refuse to approve bills without thorough examination.
“For as long as Parliament is being used as a mere formality and rubber stamp by the Swapo majority party, where no concrete, educated and well-informed discussions take place, the opposition parties will continue to delay the passing of critical bills,” he said.
He called on the ruling party to engage meaningfully with opposition parties and to consider their inputs so that laws passed by Parliament are well researched and serve the public interest.
