KAS Namibia

Group photo of all Members of the National Council, as well as guests, with Prime Minister Hon. Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila (centre, white dress)

KAS Namibia

Dr. Bernd Althusmann, Jana Hybaskova (centre) and Chair of the National Council Margaret Mensah-Williams (centre right)

The PSP, closely related to KAS and the EU, has shown once more, how it can support newly elected National Council politically independent.

On 27 November 2015, the new National Council, the second legislative chamber of Namibia, had been elected. Out of the 43 members (two of them opposition) many serve their first term in the National Council. In order to introduce them to their political tasks and duties, the seminar concentrated on numerous political fields in depth. The Chair of the National Council, Hon. Mensah-Williams, is the first woman to ever at the top of the directly elected National Council of Namibia. From the beginning she was an engaged fighter for the needs of the Namibian regions.

On the first day, a general introduction into Namibia’s political system, the specific role a a National Council Member, as well as parliamentary ethics were concentrated on. On the following day the focus shifted towards economic matters: The National Development Plan 4 (NDP4) and the Vision 2030 were explained and in relation to this, the distribution of the national budget for regional development. The third day of the seminar stood in the light of the rule of law and the Namibian constitution: In the morning, the Namibian law making process was explained in detail, followed by the tasks and powers of parliamentary committees. In the afternoon, former parliamentarian and coordinator of the PSP, Johan de Wal, illustrated, how the National Council could effectively and lawfully exercise its powers of parliamentary oversight. Furthermore, he exemplified how public hearings were conducted effectively. On the evening of the same day, a reception for the Members of the National Council and representatives of several civil society organisations (CSOs) took place. Dr. Bernd Althusman, KAS resident representative, emphasised in his welcoming remarks the importance and relevance of the civil society in a democratic community, such as Namibia. Numerous representatives of the CSOs accepted the invitation and were able to meet a great number of new Member of the National Council. The CSOs in Namibia should be strengthened further and in relation to this, KAS and the EU will initiate a new project in the near future. Jana Hybaskova, acting ambassador of the EU, confirmed this, when she gave her opening remarks at the reception.

On the second last day, the seminar was devoted to public communication of parliamentarians and current challenges of Namibia, for example the fight against poverty. This took place in form of a discussion with the Minister for Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare, Hon. Kameeta. On the last day, the personal appearance, wellness and lifestyle of each parliamentarian, basically a parliamentarian code of conduct, lay in focus.

In the light of the numerous new Member of the Council, this seminar was an important step in the cooperation between EU/KAS and both of the legislative chambers of Namibia.