STAFF WRITER
Speaker of the National Assembly Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila has called for stronger parliamentary oversight and coordination to ensure that work continues to support the country’s development and the welfare of Namibians.
Speaking at a leadership training workshop for presiding officers and leaders of Standing Committees in Swakopmund on Monday, Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said Parliament’s functions of representation, law-making and oversight have a direct impact on the country’s development.
“Each of these three functions, representation, law making and oversight, has direct bearing on the welfare and development of the country, and it is on how we deal with these aspects that the public measures the performance of parliament,” she said.
The workshop is being held under the theme “Strengthening Parliamentary Leadership for Inclusive Development and Participatory Democracy.”
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said Namibia’s system of governance is based on democracy and the rule of law, with a separation of powers among the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary.
She said Parliament plays a key role in holding the Executive accountable, passing laws and approving the national budget.
“The Legislature, consisting of the National Assembly and the National Council, holds the legislative power of the Republic, passing our laws, including approving the national budget and holding the Executive to account as representative of the people,” she said.
She said the composition of Parliament also ensures that different political views, regions and communities are represented in the law-making process.
“This ensures that Parliament is representative not only of the political diversity chosen by our people at the ballot, but also of the localities and communities across the country that are affected by the laws we pass,” she said.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said parliamentary debate and scrutiny are important in ensuring that decisions are properly considered before being taken.
She said Standing Committees are particularly important because they allow Parliament to examine complex issues and engage directly with communities through outreach missions.
“They also allow Parliament to conduct outreach missions as part of its representation and oversight functions, engaging directly with the people we represent, so that we may hear how they have been affected by the laws and policies that have been implemented, and how any shortcomings or constraints in implementation might be addressed,” she said.
The Speaker said stronger coordination between the National Assembly and National Council committees could also improve oversight.
She said participants would consider ways of reducing duplication in oversight work between the committees of the two Houses.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said the workshop comes at a time when both Houses have experienced considerable turnover following recent elections.
“Our purpose this week is to introspect in order to meet the evolving demand of Parliament,” she said.
The workshop aims to promote a common understanding of parliamentary rules and procedures, strengthen coordination between the two Houses and draw on the experience of resource persons from Namibia, the SADC region and beyond.
She urged parliamentary leaders to use the workshop for peer learning and to draw on the experience within the room.
“The valuable and varied experience represented in this room, drawn from different terms of service, different political parties and different regions of our country, is itself among the principal resources of this workshop,” she said.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said stronger parliamentary leadership would help move Parliament closer to its goal of inclusive development and participatory democracy.
“It is my hope that by the end of this week, we will have arrived at outcomes that carry us closer to the theme before us, the strengthening of parliamentary leadership for inclusive development and participatory democracy,” she said.
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