Erasmus Shalihaxwe
Members of parliament from the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) and Body of Christ parties are challenging the process used to select Namibia’s representatives to the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), accusing the National Assembly of secretive and unlawful conduct.
On Monday four MPs were sworn in at PAP to represent Namibia.
They are National Assembly deputy speaker Phillipus Katamelo and Uahekua Herunga from Swapo, Anseline Beukes from the Landless People’s Movement (LPM), and Rodney Cloete from the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC).
AR chief whip Vaino Hangula has written to secretary to the National Assembly Ester Kaapanda demanding the immediate withdrawal and retraction of what he called the “corrupt, unlawful so-called designation” of the four MPs.
Hangula said the National Assembly never officially approved the appointments and demanded a public apology issued for misleading the public.
“I must remind you that in terms of section 43(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act, a public official commits an offence by using their office and position for the gratification of any other person. In this case, these elements have been met without debate,” said Hangula.
“We are resolute to ensure that the Parliament of the people of Namibia, in general, and the National Assembly, in particular, does not degenerate into organised corruption and become a theatre of illegalities.”
Meanwhile, Body of Christ Party chief whip Festus Thomas echoed the objections and questioned the transparency of the process.
He asked why certain political parties were chosen while others were excluded and who made the selections.
“I would like to remind you that this arrangement is in violation of section 43 (1) of the Anti-Corruption Act when it uses an erroneous benefit or deceives another person. This is in accordance with the Standing Committee rules and procedures, specifically Rule 27 (4), Rule 30 (c)(ii), and Rule 31 (3)(a)(b). In this case, these conditions can be met without any discussion,” said Thomas.
However, the Namibian Parliament maintained its position on the selection of the four members, noting that it followed Article 4 of the Protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community relating to the Pan-African Parliament.
The article requires each member state to designate five parliamentarians, including at least one woman, in a manner that reflects political diversity.
“Under Article 5 of the same protocol, members are elected or designated by their respective national parliaments. Namibia, as a member state of the African Union (AU), affirms its commitment to the PAP, which serves as the legislative organ of the AU. The PAP provides a platform for African citizens to engage in dialogue and decision-making on critical continental issues such as human rights, democratic consolidation, good governance, and the rule of law,” the parliament stated.
